And then we started editing on mute just the visual narrative, Stefanov explained. [11][12] The project was also part of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation's program for preservation of North Macedonia's natural resources. "We were doing it by instinct, and then as soon as we got the translations the plot was all there. "This was the most valuable lesson for us as the authors of the future films. Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do. July 26, 2019 11:07 pm. Kotevska says that many people assume that she, as a woman, was the one who was closer to Hatidze, and Stefanov with the boys from the other family. Hatidze Muratova. The documentary's success is even more remarkable because it started almost accidentally. Georgiev puts much of the film's phenomenal success down to Hatidze's "wonderful heart". [40] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the film received an average score of 86 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". [20][35] The finished film includes six of the twenty-five scenes portraying the relationship between the two. First we spent three and a half months, four months, just watching the material, the whole material. 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. Hatidze generously imparts her methods to him but, pressured by money-grubbing marketeers, he disregards the half-for-them-half-for-us rule and wreaks havoc on the region's beekeeping . 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. "Everyone has to do the same work to survive. 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. [14] Upon arriving at the location, the film crew was introduced to Hatide. [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. But the life that extends beyond the movie itself is still felt within it, still gestured toward and honored, by the close personal . It's a poem including history"[19] and listed the film as best pick for 2019. [45], Grading Honeyland with four stars out of five, Ty Burr from The Boston Globe said the film's strongest point is that it serves as "both allegory and example, a symbolic tale about the importance of nature's balance and a specific story about these specific lives", and called Hatide "a figure for the ages". Kotevska and Stefanov say that, like beekeeping, all the other jobs in this harsh environment have been done equally by men and women. 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. The home she lives in was purchased for her by the documentary filmmakers after they won their first award at the Sarajevo film festival. Hatidze Muratova lives in a remote area of Macedonia and has one simple rule: When you harvest honey, you take half and leave the other half for the bees. Hatide scolds Sam for ignoring her advice and her bee colony collapses. 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. [22] David Ehlrich writing for IndieWire gave the film a B+ in his review, calling it "a bitter and mesmerically beautiful documentary that focuses on a single beekeeper as though our collective future hinges on the fragile relationship between her and the hives". Related "Honeyland" introduces us to Hatidze Muratova, a great character and a natural-born movie star. Until "Honeyland" -- the "non-fiction masterpiece" in which the village beekeeper appears -- won a record three awards at the Sundance film festival, Hatidze lived in a tiny mud and stone house without electricity and running water in the wilds of North Macedonia. The roof still needs some work, but the inside is mostly done. [19] Due to the remoteness of Bekirlija, the production team stayed there for three-to-four consecutive days before going to nearby towns for supplies and to recharge their filming equipment. [39], On 22 October 2019, Honeyland was released in the US on video on demand and DVD by Universal Studios. And that change speaks to a wider ethical conundrum that Mr. Stefanov and his colleagues have grappled with since finishing filming one that has long troubled documentary filmmakers. After Hollywood, she will head there again in the spring and watch the stars from her little stone hut. Calm and gentle, Ms. Muratova has a deep and respectful relationship with nature, treating her bees almost as collaborators. This principle is based on the customs and traditions of her grandfather, who taught her bees need to use their own honey to obtain enough energy to fly and mate. However, after learning about Hatidze from their time spent in the local area, this plan soon developed into a three year stay documenting Hatdidze's unique way of life and her interaction with those . Scott from The New York Times viewed Hatide as a "heroic figure" who sends a message to her "wasteful, wanton neighbors". Directors Tamara Kotevska Ljubomir Stefanov Writers Tamara Kotevska Ljubomir Stefanov Stars Hatidze Muratova Nazife Muratova Hussein Sam And by all accounts, she is quite happy, according to filmmakers Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov. Life is not an infinite process it has phases, he said. [5][6], On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Honeyland has an approval rating of 100% based on 124 reviews, and an average rating of 8.4/10. Calm and gentle, Ms. Muratova has a deep and respectful relationship with nature, treating her bees almost as collaborators. [31] Rating it with three stars out of four, Michael O'Sullivan from The Washington Post said despite the worthwhile patience it requires from viewers, the film "sneaks up on you in a quiet yet powerful way". At her old home in Bekirlija, she proudly unveiled her latest bowl of liquid honey. Soon after, her mother dies. Anyone can read what you share. Meanwhile, someone had pilfered Ms. Muratovas honey, and she blamed Mr. Sam. "She is sharp, very intelligent and speaks four languages from different language groups -- Turkish, Macedonian, Albanian and Vlach (Aromanian)," Georgiev said. What caught the directors' interest early on was observing Hatidze's life and her relationship with her mother. According to Kotevska, they wanted to make sure the movie's narrative is completely understandable even if it is followed visually. Production with obstacles. [13], Initially, the directors were planning to focus on the rotational farming practices of villagers inhabiting the area around Bregalnica. The eureka moment was when "Hatidze talked about half the honey being for the bees and half for her. Hatidze lives in a village that is close to her brother relatives. [17][18], Starting in 2015, the documentary was filmed over three years and the final version was condensed from more than 400 hours of footage. Stefanov says that in the traditional communities in that part of the world, regardless of the religion or ethnicity, "there is an unwritten rule that the last-born female child stays with the parents until their death". ", join us with a tax-deductible donation today. Mr. Sam wanted its water for his cows, while Ms. Muratova said it was only for human use. And as humans, how could they ever not? We spent hours just thinking what to do with this material. She hikes along a mountain ridge, prying a small, flat slab from the. This becomes clear in Honeyland, an exquisitely photographed documentary by Macedonian filmmakers Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska. She will be the only Turkish-Macedonian peasant in the starry audience at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood. Terms of Service apply. He elaborated, "a sensitivity to both petty human concerns and striking natural beauty is what makes Honeyland a particularly enthralling documentary. [citation needed] In the UK, it was released on DVD and Blu-ray disc by Dogwoof on 24 February 2020; the disc includes deleted scenes and a theatrical trailer. When we first meet Hatidze, she is ascending the path from the rustic homestead she shares with her dying mother and her dog, Jackie, in search of wild bees in the surrounding hills. . Directors Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov are expected to attend all screenings. Nature filmmaking that focuses only on the environment can feel a little dry, while so-called human-interest storytelling can be cloying; Honeyland succeeds by combining the two. 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. Hatidze lives with her ailing mother in the mountains of Macedonia, making a living cultivating honey using ancient beekeeping traditions. "Sarah Jessica Parker was very excited to meet her after seeing the film," "Honeyland" producer Atanas Georgiev told AFP. '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. She says that beekeeping has made Hatidze such a remarkable person. 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. It also made Ms. Muratova perhaps the worlds most famous beekeeper. We spotted Hatidze in the very beginning and just started shooting her. Filming of Honeyland lasted three years, and 400 hours of footage was filmed. Hyperallergic speaks to the directors of the first film nominated for both the Best Documentary . And thats very pleasing in editing because it can become very boring seeing the same stuff again.. Hatidze Muratova, a Macedonian beekeeper who's at the heart of the film "Honeyland.". [29], According to Stefanov, the directors' main focuses in Honeyland were climate change, biodiversity loss exemplified by the decline of the bee population,[30] and the use of natural resources. [40] According to the website's critical consensus, "Honeyland uses life in a remote village to offer an eye-opening perspective on experiences that should resonate even for audiences halfway around the world". Copyright 2023 Mother Jones and the Foundation for National Progress. Will They Ever Leave? The 225 Best Horror Movies of All Time She has become a star. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. "When we came to editing, we spent a week or more just being completely stuck. Honeyland. Culture 06.02.2020 / 14:39. Our fearless leader, Hatidze, climbs higher and higher until she stops at an unremarkable collection of rocks. Sundance 2023: Slashed Streaming Budgets and Theatrical Woes Won't Dampen Sales Honeyland introduces us to Hatidze Muratova, a woman in her 50s who harvests honey from her own beehives in the mountains of Macedonia. But Kotevska's main impression of Los Angeles is: "From the tall buildings, I cannot see the stars.". 2023 IndieWire Media, LLC. Critics have viewed it as a film that also explores anthropological topics. Sign in So we can probably say that the bees brought us to her.. [31] Sheena Scott, writing for Forbes, said Sam's actions were motivated by profit "to the detriment of a more suitable sustainable way of living". [41] A.O. . Sign up for our Email Newsletters here. In one scene of the film, Hatidze asks her mother why she turned down offers of marriage that were brought for Hatidze. 99+ Photos Documentary Drama The last female bee-hunter in Europe must save the bees and return the natural balance in Honeyland, when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood. Honeyland opens this way: near-wordlessly, attending to the rituals of Hatidze's day, her trips to the nearest city to sell her honey. A.O. The atmosphere in the village changes when the nomadic rancher Hussein Sam arrives with his wife Ljutvie, their seven children, and their imported domestic animals. "They make you extremely creative, we thought of the solutions that turned out to be quite unique.". Listen on Apple Podcasts. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2023 demands. 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