“In the middle of Europe dealing with ecological awareness, we are witnessing a way of life almost purely identical to what it was 300 years ago, in terms of precariousness and self-sustainability,” says producer Sara Ferro of Land of Sar, the new project by Petra Seliškar (My World In Upside Down, Grandmothers of Revolution), which is at late production stage with a budget of €420,000 (€40,000 still to be raised). The film is a North Macedonia, France, Slovenia co-production.
“Not enough attention is put to this lifestyle, which is on the edge of extinction. But can we expect the boys to maintain that very demanding life while they have Instagram in their pocket?”
In the film Zekir (20) and Zarif (16) are the elder brothers in a family of shepherds. With their younger siblings, they spend half of the year in the heights of the Sar mountains, along with their 20 dogs and five hundred sheep, while their parents stay back in the village. Life in the refuge is precarious, but the surroundings are breathtakingly beautiful. But being a shepherd means hard work, and it’s an existence the boys have known since the age of six. So, when Zarif begins to daydream about another life while scrolling on his smartphone, the question arises. How can the family business be maintained?
Grandfather Muzafir, the main authority within family, has a live and let live attitude, even though he would prefer that the boys stayed. But matters take a decisive turn when, during the cattle market, the police tell them to leave the town, with their cattle. For Zarif, this is the last straw, so the following day he leaves the mountains, leaving Zekir alone with the sheep and the dogs at 2,000 m altitude just as the winter was coming…
Producer Ferro points to some of the project’s unique characteristics and appeal to audiences. “It is very interesting for teenagers or young people around Europe to be able to witness such a different mode of existence of upbringing/education, such a specific version of the questions that you ask yourself at that age, which maybe they have no idea about, even if this is happening not so far from them, and they can still identify with because of similarities that are still there (brotherhood, teenage issues, smartphone life, etc.). It can open their mind and approach to life/world through problematics that they could never imagine so close to them.”
“The shooting takes place in a remote place, a mountain massive in North Macedonia, at an altitude of 2500m. This is a highly demanding shooting, production-wise, due to the rough conditions. Getting to the mountains is only possible with a 4×4 vehicle. The crew stays there in an improvised camp. Each shooting session required precise and efficient planning and preparations,” she continues.
“Weather conditions are unpredictable as well. But spending time with the characters is very easy. They are collaborative and the hard conditions are easy to overcome with them, even though sometimes dangerous. There is also the language barrier between the crew and the characters which goes smoothly during the shooting but is not that simple for the editing process. They are willing to make this film with us and there is great trust between them and the crew. Patience and endurance are key to making this coming-of-age story.”
Most of the shooting on the shooting is already completed, Ferro confirms, and delivery is expected at the beginning of 2023.
