Nothing less than a found epic, a real-life environmental allegory.
(A.O. Scott and Manohla Dargis, NYTimes)
A miraculous feat, shot over three years as if by invisible camera.
(Cath Clarke, The Guardian)
Its narrative construction depicts extraordinary tensions and conflicts with a clarity and coherence that a screenwriter might dream of.
(Richard Brody, The New Yorker)
Nestled in an isolated mountain region deep within the Balkans, Hatidze Muratova lives with her ailing mother in a village without roads, electricity or running water. She’s the last in a long line of wild beekeepers, eking out a living farming honey in small batches to be sold in the closest city – a mere four hours’ walk away. Hatidze’s peaceful existence is thrown into upheaval by the arrival of an itinerant family, with their roaring engines, seven rambunctious children and a herd of cattle. Hatidze optimistically meets the promise of change with an open heart, it doesn’t take long however, before a conflict evolves that exposes the fundamental tension between nature and humanity, harmony and discord, exploitation and sustainability.
The debut feature from documentarians Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, HONEYLAND is made with the widescreen sweep of an epic, yet clearly built from an intimate collaboration between filmmakers and subject. With a surprising sense of humor, it’s a tough and tender portrait of the delicate balance between humankind and nature, a glimpse at a fast disappearing way of life, and an unforgettable testament to one extraordinary woman’s resilience.
AWARDS: Sundance, Critic’s Choice Documentary Award, Cinema Eye Honors, European Film Awards, International Documentary Association + 30 other awards and over 40 nominations including two Oscar nominations for Best Documentary and Best Foreign Film.
Samir Ljuma is an award-winning cinematographer and producer from Macedonia. He worked as Director of Photography on several documentary features and collaborated with a host of international film directors, including AVEC L’AMOUR by Ilija Cvetkovski and HONEYLAND by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. He is the winner of the American Society Of Cinematographers Award for Best Documentary Cinematography as well as IMAGO Award, IDA Award, Cinema Eye Honors Award, and Sundance Film Festival award.
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