Honeyland (Macedonian: , transliterated: Medena zemja) is a 2019 Macedonian documentary film that was directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. One day, the Sam family, nomadic cattle farmers who speak the same archaic Turkish dialect as Haditze and her mother, install their caravan right next to the women's house. Honeyland introduces us to Hatidze Muratova, a woman in her 50s who harvests honey from her own beehives in the mountains of Macedonia. When an unruly family moves in next door, what at first seems like a balm for her solitude becomes a source of tension as they, too, want to practice beekeeping, while disregarding her advice. While working on a short video commissioned by a nature conservancy project, the filmmakers met Hatidze Muratova, a middle-aged woman who ekes out a hardscrabble and solitary existence harvesting honey with ancient, sustainable methods across the craggy mountainous landscape of the former Yugoslav republic while caring for her half-blind and bedridden mother in a modest home without . But we decided to break that rule, said Atanas Georgiev, the films producer. Directors Hatidze lives in Bekirlija, an abandoned village with no electricity, running water or roads, where she looks after her ailing mother. [citation needed] In Australia and New Zealand, Honeyland was released by the production company Umbrella Films on 5 March 2020. "Sarah Jessica Parker was very excited to meet her after seeing the film," "Honeyland" producer Atanas Georgiev told AFP. If Id had a son like you, she later tells one of the neighbor boys, things would be different.. . And even with her newfound fame, Ms. Muratova said she still remained true to her vocation. Honeyland has a strong ecological message, but it's the life story of the woman at the centre of the film that has struck a chord around the world. Read about our approach to external linking. For the film crew, said Ms. Muratova, it was more demanding to deal with us after the film than during the filming itself.. The directors focused only on the visuals without making use of audio recordings or transcripts. [14] Upon arriving at the location, the film crew was introduced to Hatide. In a deserted Macedonian village, Hatidze, a 50-something woman, trudges up a hillside to check her bee colonies nestled in the rocks. But the life that extends beyond the movie itself is still felt within it, still gestured toward and honored, by the close personal . "They make you extremely creative, we thought of the solutions that turned out to be quite unique.". The film depicts how Ms. Muratova and Hussein Sam, a seminomadic farmer tried to coexist in one of the poorest pockets of North Macedonia. Get The Latest IndieWire Alerts And Newsletters Delivered Directly To Your Inbox. We are filmmakers, not social workers.. [56] Money received from the award was used to purchase a new house for Hatide in the nearby village of Dorfulija in Lozovo Municipality, close to her relatives and friends. Hatidze lives in a village that is close to her brother relatives. She now divides her time between the two villages. She removes the covering and, with her bare hands, pulls honey-covered frames out of the hive while chanting to the bees and using smoke to keep . What caught the directors' interest early on was observing Hatidze's life and her relationship with her mother. It's a poem including history"[19] and listed the film as best pick for 2019. Hatidze gets very close to the bees, often using no protection. 7 New Netflix Shows in October 2022 -- and the Best Reasons to Watch. By signing up, you agree to our privacy policy and terms of use, and to receive messages from Mother Jones and our partners. This approach was followed during the post-production stages and the first six months of the rough cut, which together lasted approximately 12 months. . Hatidze lives with her mother, a half-blind 86-year-old who barely leaves their dwelling. Both the Sams and Hatidze's family are ethnic Turks and they speak in Turkish dialect throughout the film. [14] They spent the better course of three years visiting the families of the film. Neon. Georgiev said it didn't quite fall so easily from the sky. In a simpler world, Mr. Georgiev, Mr. Stefanov and his co-director, Tamara Kotevska, would be basking in their newfound success, and focusing on new projects. "Ljubo Stefanov. Kotevska and Stefanov say that, like beekeeping, all the other jobs in this harsh environment have been done equally by men and women. We're a nonprofit (so it's tax-deductible), and reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget. Still, the transformation of Ms. Muratovas life is not necessarily something to mourn, Mr. Stefanov said. [9], Honeyland is Tamara Kotevska's and Ljubomir Stefanov's second collaboration on a documentary movie after Lake of Apples (2017). [23][24] According to Kotevska and Stefanov, during filming they mainly relied on visual observations of their subjects, whose language they did not understand. She described Hatide's case as a portrayal of "how consumerism destroys natural resources completely". 1 movie of 2019. A volunteer social worker now helps both families overcome a never-ending list of logistical and social challenges, including setting up bank accounts and enrolling them in social security. [54] She also criticized the alleged romanticization and exploitation of the austere conditions of Hatides circumstance for the political message on sustainability, defining it a "morality tale about environmentalism and sustainability that borders on preaching.". "It's important who we were as people, our personalities, this was crucial. But Kotevska's main impression of Los Angeles is: "From the tall buildings, I cannot see the stars.". [32] The documentary's producer Atanas Georgiev said the production team was "very eager" to send the message of sustainability to the citizens and the government of North Macedonia, and to prompt action to improve the country's air quality and reduce pollution.[33]. In need of money, and inspired by Hatide's way of earning money, Sam takes an interest in wild beekeeping himself. "Half for me and half for you" is Hatidze's mantra, which she repeats as she tends to the bees on the mountain. 'Honeyland' is a pretty sweet documentary about a woman and her bees | Movie review Like many a good documentary, Honeyland takes us to a faraway land and culture in a way that reveals what is distinctive and what is universal about people. Its an avalanche of issues, said Julijana Daskalov, the foundations program manager. Informacje o filmie. Ms. Muratova had lost her new house key, so the producer had to find the workman with the spare. [20] Josh Kupecki from the Austin Chronicle said Honeyland successfully depicts the way "capitalism functions even in the most rural areas". Soon after, her mother dies. Now it has become the first film ever to get Oscar nominations for both best documentary and best foreign language movie, Hatidze has become a full-blown celebrity who gets stopped in the street by Hollywood stars. We have no option but to cope with it somehow," said Georgiev, who also edited the film. 8.0 1 h 29 min 2019 NR Haditze Muratova, the last of the Macedonian wild beekeepers, sees her peaceful existence threatened by the arrival of her new neighbors. Sign in Self: Honeyland. Although initially reluctant to participate in the documentary, Hatide agreed to get involved to send a message of sustainable living to the world. From the start, Georgiev said they were very aware about their responsibilities to their subjects and the eco-system -- both natural and human -- that they come from. John Sloss Is More Hopeful About the Sundance Film Market Than You Might Think, The Oscar Race for Best Picture Has Three Frontrunners as Voting Closes Tuesday, How RRR and Glass Onion Are Trying to Hack the Best Picture Oscar Race, Whered the Color Go? In fact it was the other way round. Interviews with leading film and TV creators about their process and craft. Sam disregards Hatide's advice to always leave half of the honey for his bees and proceeds to sell the entire stock of honey. "Everyone has to do the same work to survive. Having lived 56 years quite happily without television, Hatidze wasn't all that aware of "Sex and the City", although she graciously told the star-struck actress's fortune "by reading the coffee grains in bottom of her cup.". When an unruly family moves in next door, what at first seems like a balm for her solitude becomes a source of tension as they, too, want to practice beekeeping, while disregarding her advice. "The mother and daughter story is so beautiful and almost mythological, but with the honey, there is conflict, capitalism and consumerism. . "To be able to communicate with bees you need to have a personal strength to approach them, patience to learn how to tame them, and this way of life requires not force but wisdom," says Kotevska. She has survived for more than 50 years in the ruins of an abandoned village with no electricity or indoor plumbing, eking out her existence by journeying to the closest city to trade the honey for medicine and fruit. It was amazing," he said. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. Hatidze makes a living using ancient beekeeping traditions. [14] Kotevska and Stefanov stated they tried to reflect the traditions of the region, according to which the last daughter has to take care of her parents until they die, prohibiting the daughter from marrying and establishing her own family. "Marriage . As Kotevska put it, this was her way of liberation.. The stylists shared her pictures, saying she is now ready to . That is until their nomadic neighbours, Hussein and Ljutvie Sam, moved in with their unruly herd of children, cows and chickens. Both members of North Macedonias Turkish minority, Ms. Muratova, 56, and Mr. Sam, 70, have similar roots in rural poverty, but markedly different approaches to life. But the Honeyland directors, together with two cameramen, spent three years, on and off, visiting these families. We are now very trained to see the stories that are created visually.". Honeyland (2019) 9 of 216. Culture 06.02.2020 / 14:39. Hatidze Muratova, the star of the documentary Honeyland, was given a new house by the producers of the double Oscar nominated movie. She will continue to find happiness again and again as long as she lives.". A "Honeyland" foundation for her, the Sam family and the wider community, is up and running, with internet donors getting some of their wild "bio honey" in the post. [15] The film was going to focus on Hatide's relationship with her mother and the directors had no conflict planned until the nomad family arrived sometime later. There . "We were doing it by instinct, and then as soon as we got the translations the plot was all there. [23], Set in the context of global warming and the rise of contemporary environmental awareness, numerous critics emphasized the message of sustainability. Several environmental topics are explored, such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and exploitation of natural resources. The directors say the film profoundly changed their lives. Hatidze Muratova. Agence France-presse / February 6, 2020 Deep within the Balkans, Hatidze Muratova is the last in a long line of Macedonian wild beekeepers. She stated that the movie was too fictionalized to be regarded as a documentary and claimed it was "a bona fide Flahertian re-enacted documentary. Dan on January 31, 2020 at 11:01 am . 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