18/08/2026 - Milcho Manchevski’s haunting documentary gives a voice to survivors and families of those affected by last year’s Kočani night-club tragedy

Good People, screening at the 32nd Sarajevo Film Festival as part of the Competition Programme – Documentary Film, is Golden Lion winner Milcho Manchevski’s latest film. It tells the story of the fire that broke out at the Pulse nightclub in Kočani, North Macedonia, on 16 March 2025, when 63 young people died and 193 were injured. Sparks from indoor fireworks ignited the ceiling, causing toxic smoke to spread rapidly through the unlicensed venue, which lacked proper safety measures and emergency exits.

The 86-minute film is composed of sequences showing people involved in of affected by the event, with their faces and bodies set against a black background, as they recount memories of that terrible evening, sometimes becoming emotional and struggling to speak. This approach allows us to hear the stories directly from them, their trembling voices intensifying their accounts as they recall what happened.

The testimonies are interrupted by small white captions, also set against a black background, which introduce the themes that will be explored in the subsequent minutes. Most of the interviewees lost someone that evening – a child, friend or sibling – and much of what they recount is devoted to them. In fact, the film feels almost entirely dedicated to the victims who did not make it, with some of the speakers expressing their sense of guilt over what happened. Those we see on screen also make predictions about what the deceased youngsters might have gone on to do with their lives, which makes their narration all the more heartbreaking.

Others describe the evening’s disaster and the chaos that derived from it, while some recount the physical consequences of having been in that nightclub, as well as the psychological aftermath. For example, one individual describes being unable to look at birthday candles during a celebration because of the terror and trauma they experienced.

Good People strongly brings to mind what happened in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, at the start of the year, and more broadly, these stories bring to mind various similar events that, unfortunately, continue to happen around the world when safety measures are not properly adhered to. It certainly tries to give a voice to – and seek justice for – all of the victims of these tragedies. For this reason, it is a very difficult feature to judge objectively because, from a qualitative and technical standpoint, it is very simple. It relies heavily on talking heads, which are generally not a particularly strong cinematic choice, but here, they are arguably the only way to tell a story about which very little footage exists. Some images are shown, but the vast majority of the events are imagined through the words of the people interviewed. As a gesture of support, the director, producers and distributors have waived their profits, and all proceeds from the film will go to the victims of the Kočani tragedy.

Good People was financed privately by Manchevski through Banana Film. World sales rights are up for grabs.