Milcho Manchevski's debut feature film, Before the Rain, is widely regarded as one of the greatest debut films in the history of cinema, earning an Academy Award nomination and thirty other awards, including the Golden Lion in Venice and the Independent Spirit Award. The New York Times included it on its list of the best 1,000 movies ever made.
Manchevski's work continues to stand out in world cinema for its unique blend of experimentation, poetry, emotion, and demand for active viewer participation in the construction of meaning. His films have been praised by critics, with Roger Ebert stating that they "keep him going" and reminding him of the nobility that film can attain.
Manchevski has written and directed numerous feature films, including Willow, Bikini Moon, Mothers, Shadows, Dust, and Before the Rain, as well as over 50 short films. His work has been widely screened at international film festivals, with Dust opening the Venice Film Festival and Willow and Mothers selected among the 40 European films of the year by the European Film Academy committee.
Manchevski has also published fiction, essays, and op-ed pieces in various publications, including Journal of Screenwriting, New American Writing, La Repubblica, Corriere Della Sera, Sineast, The Guardian, Suddeutsche Zeitung, Pravda, and others. He has staged performance art with the group 1AM and as a solo artist.
Manchevski has taught and served as Head of Directing Studies at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts' Graduate Film program, and has also taught and lectured at numerous universities, cinematheques, art museums, and art institutes worldwide.
His work has screened at more than four hundred festivals and has been distributed in over 60 countries. He holds an honorary doctorate from VGIK in Moscow, Russia, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America, European Film Academy, and PEN Club.
