Macedonia will put Goran Stolevski’s third feature Housekeeping for Beginners forward for the Best International Feature Oscar.
Stolevski, who writes, directs and edits the film, was born in North Macedonia and emigrated to Australia as a teenager. Housekeeping for Beginners was shot in his birth country, with Anamaria Marinca leading the cast as Dita, a woman who owns a house that serves as a space for a group of queer people who otherwise have nowhere to go. After her girlfriend falls terminally ill, she realises she may also be responsible for her two young daughters.
The cast also includes Alina Serban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, Mia Mustafa, Dzada Selim, Sara Klimoska, Rozafë Çelaj and Ajse Useini.
Housekeeping for Beginners premiered at the Venice Film Festival in the Orizzonti (Horizons) competition, and won the Queer Lion Award. It will make its Australian premiere next month at the Adelaide Film Festival, which backed the film via its investment fund.
This is the second time a Stolevski film has been submitted for the Best International Feature award, with his debut You Won’t Be Alone Australia’s submission for the prize last year. To be eligible for the Best International Feature, Academy rules deem a film must have been produced outside of the US and more than 50 per cent of the dialogue must be in a language other than English.
Marija Dimitrova at Skopje-based List Production and Klaudia Smieja-Rostworowska at Warsaw-based Madants produce Housekeeping for Beginners, with Beata Rzeźniczek of Madants, Ankica Tilic at Kinorama, Milan Stojanovic at Sense Production and Blerta Basholli at Industria Film.
Causeway Films’ Kristina Ceyton and Sam Jennings, who produced Stolevski’s first two films, You Won’t Be Alone and Of An Age, are co-producers. Australian Emma Bortignon also worked on the film as the sound designer; this is also her third collaboration with Stolevski.
Focus Features has acquired Housekeeping for Beginners for the US, with Universal Pictures handling international distribution.
Australia’s entry for Best International Feature Oscar is Noora Niasari’s Shayda, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and won the Audience Award for the World Cinema Dramatic Competition.