Skopje, 6 August 2021 (MIA) – “Stella”, the first Macedonian feature film for children, has been chosen to be the only live-action feature film at the largest film festival in the region, the Sarajevo Film Festival, in the Teen Arena program. The first Macedonian live-action feature film for children was made possible by an international crew of a large number of actors and film professionals, Dream Factory Productions says in a press release. The main character is Stella, a Shar Mountain dog, and the teenager Petar Manikj, who is starring in a feature film for the first time as well. Dejan Lilikj, Toni Mihajlovski, Simeon Dameski and Serbian actress Hristina Popović, known from the hit movie Parade are also in the movie. The screenplay was written by Eva Kamchevska, Gjorgji Klincharov is the cinematographer, Milena Milenkovikj is the costume designer, Dancho Stefkov is the editor and Ljubojna’s Oliver Josifovski is the composer. Stojan Vujichikj, one of the leading Macedonian directors whose opus includes numerous short feature films, documentaries and TV projects, directed the film. He is known for his films Brat za Eden Den, Dopir and Godinite go Chinat Svoeto, which have been shown and awarded at prestigious film festivals. Stella is co-produced by the Macedonian production company Dream Factory, whose producer is Ognen Antov, the Serbian Action Production company, whose producer is Jovana Karaulić, and the German Mouna whose producer is Nicole Ackermann. Stella has been recognized as a project of vital significance, having gained financial support from the Film Agency of North Macedonia, Serbia’s Film Center and the Baden-Württemberg Film Fund in Stuttgart, Germany. Also, Vitaminka is sponsoring the film. Stella is the story of a Shar Mountain dog, a child and an old man. After the boy, Nikola, tries to take his own life due to bullying at school, it doesn’t seem that anyone can get through to him. He stops all verbal communication. Stella is the only thing in his life that doesn’t demand anything, doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t seek answers. His existence is enough, and she’s happy to be close to him. The boy starts relating to her, so his voice can only be heard when she’s barking. The old man who has separated himself from society, living alone as a recluse at the sheepcote, reluctantly accepts Nikola, only to then become a family that has ran away from theirs. They don’t know if they’ll go back to what they ran away from, but they can move on with their lives or cross over to the other side of infinity in peace. Stella is the first green production in the country, which means that a film was made following all ecological standards for the first time. Led by the latest global ecological standards, the production team is trying to reduce the emission of harmful gases, to recycle waste according to standards from the American Association of Film Producers etc. The Sarajevo Film Festival is the biggest film festival in Southeast Europe, as well as being one of the biggest film festivals in Europe. Founded in Sarajevo in 1995, it brings together some of the biggest international and local celebrities from the film industry each year. dk/ba/