10 Best Movies from North Macedonia to Watch First

10 Essential Films from North Macedonia

Ranked native cinema in North Macedonia’s own creative voice.

1. 

   1. Before the Rain

   Пред дождот · 1994

   In three interlocking chapters that circle back on themselves, the cycle of ethnic violence plays out — a silent young monk sheltering an Albanian girl in Macedonia, a London photo editor, and a war photographer returning home. Milcho Manchevski's acclaimed, mournful drama.

2. 

   2. Honeyland

   Медена земја · 2019

   The last wild beekeeper in a remote Macedonian village lives by an ancient rule — take half the honey, leave half for the bees — until a boisterous nomadic family moves in next door and greed upsets the fragile balance. A stunning, Oscar-nominated documentary.

3. 

   3. God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija

   Господ постои, името ѝ е Петрунија · 2019

   When a jobless young woman on a whim dives into a river to catch the ceremonial cross traditionally reserved for men, her win throws her small Macedonian town into an uproar over faith, tradition, and a woman's place. A sharp, spirited comedy-drama.

4. 

   4. A Weekend of Deceased Persons

   Викенд на мртовци · 1988

   A meek office clerk whose wife dies in a Skopje hospital discovers the morgue has mixed up her body with someone else's, and must undertake a grim, absurd quest to sort out the corpses. A black Macedonian comedy.

5. 

   5. Knot

   Јазол · 1985

   In March 1943, as the Jews of Skopje are being rounded up for deportation, a disgraced surgeon drinking away his evenings among German and Bulgarian officers is drawn into the moral reckoning of the moment. A somber wartime drama.

6. 

   6. Misery

   Јад · 1975

   In late-11th-century Ohrid, the Slavic population resists Byzantine rule and Christian dogma amid persecution, murder, and a raging smallpox epidemic. A stark historical drama.

7. 

   7. DJ Ahmet

   Диџеј Ахмет · 2025

   A fifteen-year-old from a remote traditional village in North Macedonia finds escape in music while navigating his father's expectations, a conservative community, and his first love — a girl already promised to another. A warm coming-of-age drama.

8. 

   8. Mirage

   Илузија · 2004

   A bullied, neglected boy in a bleak Macedonian town, dreaming of the poet he might become, retreats into a private world — until a chance mentor and mounting cruelty push him toward a devastating breaking point. A stark drama.

9. 

   9. The Tale of Silyan

   Приказната за Силјан · 2025

   Inspired by the Macedonian folktale of a boy who quarrels with his father and is turned into a stork, this film explores the bond between a farmer and a white stork. A poetic drama from the makers of Honeyland.

10. 

    10. Goodbye, 20th Century!

    Збогум на дваесеттиот век! · 1998

    A wild, apocalyptic satire in which an immortal man wandering a devastated future world and a bizarre tale of the century's blasphemies collide. A surreal, provocative Macedonian genre mash-up.