North Macedonian Documentary Wins Two Oscar Nominations

North Macedonian documentary Honeyland has been nominated for two Oscars, the U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced on January 13.

The documentary, directed by Tamara Kotevska and Ljubomir Stefanov, won nominations in both best documentary and best foreign film categories.

The environmental documentary, shot over a period of three years, tells the story of an old woman who relies on ancient beekeeping traditions to cultivate honey in the mountains of North Macedonia.

When a neighboring family tries to do the same, it becomes a source of tension as they disregard her wisdom and advice and threaten the old woman’s livelihood.

“Through the woman whom we met by chance, a story was opened to the world — an allegory of a global image where the human and the natural are struggling to survive,” the official team behind the Honeymoon wrote on the movie’s official Facebook page.

“We would like to thank the members of the American Academy (AMPAS) for including Honeycomb in the race for the most prestigious film award in the world.”

The critically acclaimed film and its makers have already won 30 international awards — including three accolades at last year’s edition of the prestigious Sundance Film Festival in the United States.

It is the first time a documentary wins two Oscar nominations in separate categories, a fact that “confirms that documentary films are entering an era of true valuation,” the filmmakers said on Facebook.

The Oscars will be announced on February 9.

With reporting by oscar.go.com