But Kotevska says that there was never any need for negotiation; from the first time she encountered the filmmakers, Hatidze wanted to get her story out to the world. Complicating matters: They didnt speak Turkish, the preferred language of the films main subjects both Hatidze and her new neighbors who moved in a few months into the shoot and disrupted her way of life. Most of the houses were still in ruins, slowly sliding into the undergrowth. Honeyland is the first documentary to receive a nomination in both categories in the history of the Oscars. When the rules are broken, everyone pays the price. Hatidze Muratova, a 50-something woman, is . [14] Upon arriving at the location, the film crew was introduced to Hatide. , One of Europe's Last Wild Beekeepers Fights Environmental and Economic Hardships. Georgiev said it didn't quite fall so easily from the sky. Guests Expected. Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Just as worker bees spend their entire lives taking care of the queen bee which never leaves the hive, Hatidze has committed her own life to the care of her blind and paralyzed . [43] Bob Verini of Variety deemed it a "rare film that would be a strong contender in either [Academy Awards] category, in any year" due to its "strong geopolitical resonance and visual splendor". Related Inside the house, the taps were dry, so Mr. Georgiev called the mayor to reconnect the water. The crew of Honeyland spent years filming the day-to-day lives of Hatidze, her mother and her neighbors, and distilled all of their practices and chance encounters into a film just short of an hour and a half. he, out of greed, breaks Honeyland's basic rule (take half of the honey, but leave half to the bees); she, the last female beehunter in Europe, is left to save the bees and restore natural . honeyland.2019.1080p.web.h264-w4f.mkv. Finance came from a $25,000 grant awarded by San Francisco International Film Festival's documentary fund and three million Macedonian denars awarded by North Macedonia Film Agency. This gave us the power of the visual story that we made. Mr. Sam wanted its water for his cows, while Ms. Muratova said it was only for human use. A.O. Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters. Who was Ukrainian minister Denys Monastyrsky? Nominated for two Oscars, Honeyland charted the tensions between a hermitic beekeeper and her disorderly neighbors. happened upon a pivotal conflict that would alter Hatidze's life: the arrival of a nomadic family of nine who settled nearby with a few hundred cattle and a fierce determination to make a living. jQuery(document).ready(function(){prx("https:\/\/play.prx.org\/e?uf=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2Fbite-podcast&ge=gid%3A%2F%2Fart19-episode-locator%2FV0%2F_uYi-ThU9eQ57xy7hFwuLPL1rVvIRn7uZxGyUXEW1Jg", "prx-3", "embed")});Listen to the latest episode of Bite: Subscribe using Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app. Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! [20][35] The finished film includes six of the twenty-five scenes portraying the relationship between the two. [62][34] It is also the second Macedonian film to earn an Oscar nomination after Before the Rain (1994). The home she lives in was purchased for her by the documentary filmmakers after they won their first award at the Sarajevo film festival. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. But her quiet existence is fundamentally changed when the nomadic Sam family, consisting of parents with seven unruly children, a noisy vehicle and a large herd of cattle, moves into the village. But as often happens with the best documentaries, the filmmakers got lucky, because the movie they thought they were making a slice of life about a beekeeper became something more, a story about character and . Nazife says she did not turn them down, but Hatidze's late father did. Watch Kotevska and Stefanovs IDA Q&A below. At the time of filming, Ms. Muratova lived year-round in Bekirlija, while Mr. Sams chaotic family usually only visited during the summer, disrupting Ms. Muratovas quiet existence. To lessen the pressure on himself in refereeing the relationship, Mr. Georgiev created a foundation that works with the families independently of the crew. Despite his initial success, one of Sam's customers demands more honey than his bees can produce. To, co zaczyna si jako serdeczne ssiedzkie stosunki, w tym Hatidze przekazuje swoj wiedz pszczelarsk Husajnowi, sprawy przybieraj obrt, gdy Hussein postanawia nie zwraca uwagi na jeden kluczowy aspekt tej wiedzy, ktry . Using prize money won by the film, he and his colleagues had found her a new house in Dorfulija, a larger and wealthier village about half an hours drive away. [52] It also appeared on twenty-three critics' year-end top-ten lists, ranking first in three of them. Honeyland opens this way: near-wordlessly, attending to the rituals of Hatidze's day, her trips to the nearest city to sell her honey. Sucked into the dispute, the crew tried to stay neutral by providing legal assistance to both parties, and they mediated an agreement by which Ms. Muratova would withdraw her complaint in exchange for Mr. Sams promise to abide by a set of principles about his future behavior. But we were surprised [by] some of those strong sentences we heard. It's us but for your ears. In addition to finding Ms. Muratova a new house, he and his team bought Mr. Sam a new truck and fixed his familys chimney. Dan on January 31, 2020 at 11:01 am . Honeyland chronicles a period of Hatidze's life when her ancient methods of beekeeping came up against, and conflicted with, those of a newcomer to her remote home region. "Not understanding Turkish was a problem during the shooting, but we decided to let them speak as they naturally would," says Kotevska. And the complexities of this transition created a clash between the filmmakers professional duties as cleareyed observers and their subjects emotional expectations of them as humans and friends. That intense process ultimately shoved Ms. Muratova and Mr. Sam, vulnerable people who had never previously even been to a cinema, into the media glare. The woman's name is Hatidze. Hatidze approaches a beehive on a cliff But her quiet existence is fundamentally changed when the nomadic Sam family, consisting of parents with seven unruly children, a noisy vehicle and a large. You can see this in our film - in both families, it doesn't make a difference what [gender] they are, they all doing the same things.". ", join us with a tax-deductible donation today. (Her last name, Muratova, is seen in the end credits.) [39] As of July 2021, Honeyland has grossed $815,082 in the US and Canada, and $499,955 in other territories, making a worldwide gross of $1,315,037. Women Talking and Emancipation Cinematographers on Why They Desaturated Their Oscar Contenders, When in Doubt, Cut to Margot: Editing the 30-Minute Opening Bacchanal of Babylon, Everything Is Based on Something Real: Cinematographer Russell Carpenter on Shooting Avatar: The Way of Water, The 50 Best Movies of 2022, According to 165 Critics from Around the World, All 81 Titles Unceremoniously Removed from HBO Max (So Far), 10 Shows Canceled but Not Forgotten in 2022. Hatidze makes a living using ancient beekeeping traditions. [34][35] The documentary includes numerous scenes of Hatide and her neighbors during the beekeeping process, including the handling of the apiaries where the bees are kept, the cutting of honeycombs and the collection of honey in jars. He takes all the honey from his own hives, but his bees respond to this by attacking Hatidze's hives, leading to their destruction, and a conflict between the human neighbours. Read about our approach to external linking. Will They Ever Leave? Now the filmmakers find themselves unable to leave entirely serving as mediators to, and occasionally protagonists in, the local tensions to which they once only bore witness. WEB_1080P . [65] Following the movie's dual nomination, several other countries started submitting their documentaries for dual categories at the 2021 Oscar awards. Honeyland is the first film to compete for both the best documentary award and best international feature film. And bees do fill the filmflitting in and out of the frame, stinging hapless neighbors, and alchemizing the harsh landscape into molten gold. The film has already enabled Kotevska and Stefanov to buy Hatidze a house in another village, close to her brother's family. [59][60] In February 2020, the documentary won an award in the category of Best International Success at the 23rd Golden Ladybug of Popularity Awards in North Macedonia. As the nomadic family decides to move to another village, Hatide remains alone in Bekirlija. Sundance 2023: Slashed Streaming Budgets and Theatrical Woes Won't Dampen Sales The eureka moment was when "Hatidze talked about half the honey being for the bees and half for her. The story revolves around Hatidze, the last wild beekeeper, and her life philosophy on the exploitation of the natural resources. One day, an . The directors primarily focused on the visual aspects and wanted to portray humanity's balance with the ecosystem through Hatide, and consumerism and resource depletion through her neighbors. "The love that she was keeping for a family of her own, that never came true, eventually went to the bees," says Kotevska. Honeyland Review: An accomplished and heartfelt documentary exploring a lost way of life and impact of the modern world on our environment . [66], Other languages spoken in the film include, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, San Francisco International Film Festival, American Society of Cinematographers Awards, DallasFort Worth Film Critics Association, International Documentary Association Awards, Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association, List of submissions to the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film, List of Macedonian submissions for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film, List of films with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, "How 'Honeyland' Documentary Found Its Beekeeping Protagonist in Rural Macedonia", "Oscars: North Macedonia Selects 'Honeyland' for Best International Feature Category", "Oscar-nominated doc 'Honeyland' teaches a golden rule, rooted in science", " : ", "Oscars: How 'Honeyland' and 'For Sama' Portray Battles on Different Fronts", " " " , , ", "Ljubomir Stefanov, Tamara Kotevska Directors of Honeyland", "Pria o makedonskoj pelarici u utrci za Oscara: Pogledajte kako je filmska ekipa reagirala na odline vijesti", "Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov on Honeyland", "Shortlisted Documentary 'Honeyland' Expresses A "Universal Message" With Macedonian Beekeeper Story", "In 'Honeyland,' a solitary beekeeper delivers a warning about life in and out of balance", "Honeyland review beekeeper's life with a sting in the tale", "Review: 'Honeyland' is a heartbreaking documentary about a vanishing way of life", "Honeyland: Life lessons from Europe's last wild beekeeper", "Macedonia is the most polluted country in the world, please clean the air", "A brief guide to the 2020 Best International Feature Oscar nominees", " " " "" "", "Honeyland to Be Released in Australia and New Zealand", "Film Crew Spent 3 Years in Remote Balkan Hamlet. 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 . The film depicts how Ms. Muratova and Hussein Sam, a seminomadic farmer tried to coexist in one of the poorest pockets of North Macedonia. The Oscar race is in full swing, and all eyes are on the big contenders: "Joker"! Directors Tamara Kotevska, Ljubomir Stefanov Starring Hatidze Muratova, Nazife Muratova, Hussein Sam Genres Drama, Documentary, Special Interest Subtitles None available "Half for me and half for you" is Hatidze's mantra, which she repeats as she tends to the bees on the mountain. Directors Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov are expected to attend all screenings. 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. Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. There . 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. In Hatidze's family, learning the skill skipped a generation - she learned it as a girl from her grandfather, rather than her parents. When Hatidze went for a dress fitting for the Oscars in the North Macedonian capital Skopje, it took "20 minutes for her to walk 200 metres because so many people wanted to have a selfie with her,"" Georgiev revealed. Hatidze gets very close to the bees, often using no protection. Given her exceptionally poor living conditions in the nearly deserted hamlet of Bekirlija, Hatidze would often say that her main wish, out of her newfound fame, is to move to a better house in the near-by village of Dorfulija which offers far better living standards. 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 . All pictures from Honeyland (directors: Tamara Kotevska and Ljubo Stefanov) are NEON copyright, unless otherwise stated, From World of Warcraft to conducting the Oscars, Ukrainian ministers killed in helicopter crash, Zelensky addresses world leaders after deadly helicopter crash, 15 minutes to defend yourself against death penalty. . 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. Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights. When we met Hatidze and consequently everyone else you see in the film, we made sure to let them know that we will be nothing more than silent observers of their lives. . And this is how we came to it. She will continue to find happiness again and again as long as she lives.". . In the film, relations between Ms. Muratova and Mr. Sam were bad; Mr. Sam ignored Ms. Muratovas advice about how to start his own bee colony, leading his bees to attack hers and ruining Ms. Muratovas entire livelihood. At its heart, this film is a character study, a meditation on the life of a woman who has carved out a precarious existence in an unforgiving place. Ms. Muratova had lost her new house key, so the producer had to find the workman with the spare. Moments before leaving, Mr. Sam pulled him aside to ask why he hadnt been in contact so much during the coronavirus lockdown. With eight hungry mouths to feed, Hussein tries his hand at honey. Here, she lives alone with her mother, putting in all her time and energy to make sure they live happily and peacefully. . [28] They also set up a donation page supporting Hatide and the Sam kids on the film's website. But he thinks there was other magic also at work from her late mother, the "queen bee" of the piece. 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. Feed, Hussein tries his hand at honey and energy to make sure they happily. Stefanov are expected to attend all screenings Joker & quot ; Joker & quot ; time and to... During the coronavirus lockdown Muratova had lost her new house key, so Mr. georgiev the. 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