Premiere of Elena Čemerka’s documentary ‘Ruins’

Elena Čemerka’s documentary film, titled ‘Ruins’ or ‘Ruini’, premiered in Macedonia at the 17th MakDocs Festival in Kuršumli An on August 24.

The film documents the restoration of the modernist Monument to Freedom in Kočani, a structure designed by the director’s late father, architect Gligor Čemerski. The project, which began as a long-term effort in 2017, explores the intersection of personal grief and collective heritage by intertwining archival family footage with the physical renewal of the site.

While the physical restoration of the monument and its mosaics was completed in 2024 with support from the US Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation and the Municipality of Kočani, the film examines the deeper symbolic meaning of ruins. The production was a co-production involving Macedonia, Croatia, and Slovenia, supported by the Swiss Government’s ‘Culture for Development’ project. During discussions following the premiere, Čemerka noted the challenges of obtaining official permits for the restoration and highlighted how family archives provided the film with its ‘soul’.