Honeyland (2019)

Original title

Медена земја

Directed by

Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska

Genre

documentary film

Country

North Macedonia

Runtime

1h 29m

Rated

AL

Rating

7.9 of 10 from 302 voters

Elsewhere

IMDb

How it feels

This documentary follows Hatidze Muratova, a beekeeper living alone in a remote mountain village. It shows her daily life and how things change when new neighbors arrive.

observationalintimateslow-pacedcontemplativelonelygroundedearthy

What happens

Honeyland (Macedonian: Медена земја, romanized: Medena zemja) is a 2019 Macedonian documentary film that was directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. It portrays the life of Hatidže Muratova, a lonely beekeeper of wild bees who lives in the remote mountain village of Bekirlija and follows her lifestyle before and after neighbors move in nearby. The film was initially planned as a short film documenting the region surrounding the river Bregalnica but its area of focus changed when the directors met Hatidže. Honeyland received its world premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on 28 January and it has grossed $1,315,037. Filming of Honeyland lasted three years, and 400 hours of footage were filmed. Several environmental topics are explored, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and exploitation of natural resources. The directors primarily focused on the visual aspects and wanted to portray humanity's balance with the ecosystem through Hatidže, and consumerism and resource depletion through her neighbors. The documentary also portrays Hatidže's relationships with her bedridden mother and her neighbors. Honeyland contains elements of several documentary styles, including fly on the wall, direct cinema, and cinéma vérité. Honeyland received universal critical acclaim from film critics, who praised its attention to detail and applauded its conservationist message. The documentary received numerous awards and nominations at film festivals, including three awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival and two nominations at the 92nd Academy Awards in the categories for Best International Feature Film and Best Documentary Feature. Honeyland is the first documentary to receive a nomination in both categories in the history of the Oscars. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

Trailer

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