Neon has acquired the North American rights to “Honeyland,” a documentary that premiered at Sundance Film Festival last month, the distributor announced on Monday.
“Honeyland” is a documentary by Macedonian filmmaking duo Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska. Following its world premiere at the festival, “Honeyland” received three jury prizes including World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Documentary, World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Award for Cinematography and World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Originality.
The documentary showcases an isolated mountain region deep within the Balkans where Hatidze Muratova lives with her ailing mother in a village without electricity or running water. She comes from a long line of beekeepers and sells honey in a city four hours’ walk away. When a new family arrives with their engines and a herd of cattle, Hatidze’s life is changed.
“‘Honeyland’ began as just another simple story, but it grew to become so much more,” the directors said in a statement. “We are so proud of the final film, and there is no better way to get immersed in it than to experience it on the big screen. Thank you, Neon, for the opportunity to bring ‘Honeyland’ to audiences the way we always wanted it to be seen.”
This is Neon’s fifth acquisition out of Sundance — at the festival, the distributor picked up “The Lodge,” “Little Monsters,” “Monos” and “Luce.”
The deal was negotiated by Neon and Submarine Entertainment, who is handling sales, on behalf of the filmmakers.