Hatidze is over 50, and her daily life is very ascetic – she lives in a remote mountain hut without electricity and other benefits of civilization. One day, her peaceful existence is disrupted by a nomadic family who have also chosen to settle in the same village, one that most other inhabitants have long ago deserted. And this family, though bringing joy and laughter, intrude into Hatidze’s daily rhythm, threatening her bees – the woman’s only source of income. Honeyland is a poetic and meditative observation with picturesque scenes, a lush colour palette and expressive close-ups of characters documented by the filmmakers over the course of several years.

The makers of Honeyland first met Hatidze while gathering materials for a film about beekeeping and the meaning of bees within the ecosystem. They became interested in a beekeeping method that is still practiced in remote North-Macedonian regions. One of the principles of this method is honouring division – half the yield of honey to humans, the other half – to the bees.