Honeyland (2019)

This 2019 documentary is a mesmerizing portrait of a female beekeeper living in a remote mountain region of North Macedonia.  It also doubles as a fable with a strong environmental message.  And as with many documentaries, it has a fascinating back story.

It started off while the filmmakers were on an assignment to make an ecological documentary in that region.  It seems they stumbled upon handmade beehives in the middle of nowhere.  That led them to the 50 something Hatidze Muratova who, it turned out, was the last remaining beekeeper from a clan that had been harvesting honey for generations in a specific sustainable manner. 

They didn’t speak her language and so the communication was limited, but they were drawn to her native charisma and her spartan way of life.  They got her to agree to be filmed.  One thing led to another, and the filming continued intermittently over 3 years.  But it was only during the editing process, once the audio had been translated, that they had a real sense of the profoundness of what they had accomplished.  Sure enough, the final product is, to quote one reviewer, “a work of staggering beauty and a priceless encounter with an exceptional human.”

Alongside For Sama and American Factory, both of which I reviewed earlier, it is one of the nominees for the best documentary feature at the Oscars tomorrow.  What’s more, it is also in line for the best foreign film Oscar and is in fact, the first documentary ever to secure both nominations.

Here’s a link to the trailer.

Here’s a link to a 14 minute feature of an interaction with the star of Honeyland.