Honeyland

DIRECTOR(S): Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov   COUNTRY: Macedonia   YEAR: 2019   LANGUAGE(S): Turkish   SUBTITLES: German   RUNNING TIME: 87 min

SECTION: Previews at Cinecittà 2019

SCREENINGS

Tuesday, 08.10., 8.00 pm, Cinecittà

SYNOPSIS

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 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 thee delicate balance between humankind and nature, an glimpse at a fast disappearing way of life, and an unforgettable testament to one extraordinary woman’s resilience.

TAMARA KOTEVSKA

Tamara Kotevska was born in Prilep, Macedonia, in 1993. She studied film directing at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Skopje. Since then she has been working as a freelance film director for documentaries and fiction. She currenlty lives and works in Skopje.

FILMOGRAPHY

Games (2014), Free Hugs (2015), Honeyland (2019), House on a Rocky Road (2019), Paw Law (2019)

LJUBOMIR STEFANOV

Lubjo Stefanov was born in Skopje in 1975. He has over 20 years of experience in the development and production of communication concepts and documentaries related to environmental issues and human development. Some of Stefanov’s clients have been UN agencies, Euronatur, Swisscontact etc.

FILMOGRAPHY

The Noisy Neighbours (2005), Lake of Apples (2017), Honeyland (2019)

PRODUCER: Atanas Georgiev   CAMERA: Fejmi Daut, Samir Ljuma   EDITOR: Atanas Georgiev   MUSIC: Foltin

PRODUCTION: Trice Films, Apolo Media   WORLD SALES: Deckert Distribution   GERMAN DISTRIBUTOR: Neue Visionen Filmverleih Gmbh