EFTERKLANG: THE MAKEDONIUM BAND

The documentary ‘Efterklang: The Makedonium Band’, directed by Andreas Johnsen, offers a charming insight into a generous and boundary-breaking exchange between the Macedonian music world and the Danish band Efterklang.

Throughout their over 20-year career, Efterklang, comprising childhood friends Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen, and Rasmus Stolberg, have made frequent visits to North Macedonia, forging a close friendship with the hyper-energetic concert organiser Grga from the local venue MKC. Now, Efterklang has come up with an idea. With the assistance of Grga and MKC, they have given themselves one week to assemble a band of local Macedonian musicians and collaborate on creating a performance in front of the architecturally stunning monument Makedonium, which celebrates the country’s freedom and independence. The three musicians have hardly planned anything else, as they land in the capital Skopje and immediately begin distributing flyers to recruit band members for their new adventure. The project takes them out of the capital, into the countryside, up into the mountains, and all the way to the political top in their search for allies and the country’s unique folk music culture.

With his keen eye for drama and detail, director Andreas Johnsen (‘Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case’, ‘Kidd Life’, ‘Bugs’, among others) has crafted a captivating tour of the Balkan country’s musical culture and an exciting dive into the alternative, creative process of one of Denmark’s most exploratory bands. The meeting between Efterklang and the many talented musicians who end up joining the project is characterised by mutual openness and generosity, making ‘Efterklang: The Makedonium Band’ a significant, warm reminder of the unifying power and boundary-breaking nature of music.