“Honeyland really is a miraculous feat, shot over three years as if by invisible camera - not a single furtive glance is directed towards the film-makers.” - Cath Clarke, Guardian
“One of the most visually beautiful, even exhilarating movies of 2019." - Tim Brayton, Alternate Ending
“This is one of the best movies of the year... Over and over again while I was watching it, I was asking myself, 'How did they get that shot?'…” - Christy Lemire, FilmWeek, NPR LA
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. Even as the family provides a much-needed respite from Hatidze's isolation and loneliness, her very means of survival are threatened.
Awards: 31 wins, 43 nominations
Nominee, Best Documentary Feature/Best International Feature Film, Academy Awards, 2020
Winner, World Cinema Documentary/Cinematography Award, Sundance Film Festival, 2019
Nominee, Best Documentary Feature Film, Alliance of Women Film Journalists, 2020
Winner, Best Documentary, Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, 2019
Nominee, Best Documentary, Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, 2019
Winner, Most Compelling Living Subject of a Documentary, Critics' Choice Documentary Awards, 2019
Nominee, European Documentary, European Film Awards, 2019
Winner, Bet Cinematography/Nominee Best Director and Best Feature, International Documentary Association, 2019
Tickets are available here online, or at the Uptown Theatre on the day of screening. Box office opens 1 hour before showtime.
Reel Stories is sponsored by Busch Systems, Digital Giants, Michael & Marion’s, Netgain, Plumbtech Plumbing, Stewart Esten LLP, Ingrid and John Van Der Marel.