After winning 22 festival awards, Tamara Kotevska’s and Ljubomiro Stefanov’s stunning portrayal of the last female beehunter in Europe has drawn enthusiastic responses when we released the film in cinemas back in September, and it has been called ‘an experiential wonder’ (Rolling Stone) and ‘a miraculous feat’ (The Guardian).
Honeyland was also recently included as one of four Dogwoof films on Variety’s list of female directed and co-directed docs this awards season - and it was the most awarded film at Sundance 2019. There’s no better way to celebrate its awards buzz than by attending a special screening at the ICA on 21st November, followed by a Q&A with award-winning cinematographer Samir Ljuma.
In a deserted Macedonian village, Hatidze, a 50-something woman, trudges up a hillside to check her bee colonies nestled in the rocks. Serenading them with a secret chant, she gently maneuvers the honeycomb without netting or gloves. Back at her homestead, Hatidze tends to her handmade hives and her bedridden mother, occasionally heading to the capital to market her wares.
One day, an itinerant family installs itself next door, and Hatidze’s peaceful kingdom gives way to roaring engines, seven shrieking children, and 150 cows. Yet Hatidze welcomes the camaraderie, and she holds nothing back—not her tried-and-true beekeeping advice, not her affection, not her special brandy. But soon Hussein, the itinerant family’s patriarch, makes a series of decisions that could destroy Hatidze’s way of life forever.
Get your tickets here and let us know how you enjoy this wonderful film with @Dogwoof using #Honeyland.
