Teona Strugar Mitevska

Macedonian maverick of modern cinema, Teona Strugar Mitevska, was born in 1974 in Skopje, the capital city of North Macedonia. She has been active in the film industry since the late 1990s, primarily working within the drama genre, with her most acclaimed films including "How I Killed a Saint", "I am from Titov Veles", and "God Exists, Her Name is Petrunya", the latter of which won her the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival. Mitevska's auteur style is characterized by a unique blend of gritty realism and poetic symbolism, often exploring social and political issues in her home country.

Teona Strugar Mitevska, with her raw, unfiltered storytelling and empathetic portrayal of marginalized characters, stands as a beacon of hope and resilience in the Balkan cinema.