Janaki Manaki(1878-1954)

The creative work of the brothers Janaqi (1878-1954) and Milto (1880-1964) Manaki, the first cameramen on the Balkans, is undoubtedly rich and significant. The cinematographic history of Albania and Macedonia started with them, marking its most important basic values. The Manaki Brothers were born in a small Albanian village Avdela near the town Grevena (Konica area-Greece). They started to work together in 1898. During this time Janaqi was a drawing professor in the high school in Yanina, where he opened his photo studio and had his younger brother Milto study photography. In 1904, the Manaki brothers decided to live in Manastir, so that was Milto's "last stop", because in that period Manastir was an important political, economic and cultural center for the Balkans. In 1905 they moved their studio to Manastir and opened their well known "Studio for art photography". He later returned to London and bought a camera from the Charles Urban Trading Co. It was the 300th camera from the "Bioscope" series, thus with that famous Camera 300 started the life of the Albanian and Macedonian cinematography on the Balkans.