Housekeeping for Beginners: A First Look
Written, directed, and edited by Goran Stolevski, Housekeeping for Beginners premiered on September 6 2023 at the 80th Venice International Film Festival where it won the Queer Lion (an award given each year at the festival for the film with the best LGBTQ themes and culture). It has also been selected as the Macedonian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards.
Housekeeping for Beginners explores the universal truths of family, encompassing both the bonds we inherit and those we create. The narrative revolves around Dita, who, despite never aspiring to be a mother, finds herself compelled to raise her Romani girlfriend’s two daughters—Mia, a tiny troublemaker, and Vanesa, a rebellious teenager. As their individual personalities clash, a heartwarming story unfolds about an unlikely family’s struggle to stay together.
Starring the likes of Anamaria Marinca, Alina Șerban, Samson Selim, Vladimir Tintor, Mia Mustafa, Džada Selim, Sara Klimoska, Rozafë Çelaj, Ajse Useini, the anticipation is high around this project and is a widescale international collaboration between North Macedonia, Croatia, Serbia, Kosovo, Poland, Australia, and the United States.
Goran Stolevski is a Macedonian-Australian director and screenwriter. He made his directorial debut in 2022 with the film You Wont Be Alone, which was quickly followed up by the release of his second film Of An Age. This film was the recipient of the Best Film Award at CinefestOz 2022. He immigrated to Australia from Macedonia when he was a small boy. Openly gay himself, he is certainly making his mark on queer cinema, and cinema in general, globally.
Housekeeping for Beginners is being released by Focus Films in the United States on January 26, 2024. Focus Films also worked with Stolvski’s first film You Are Not Alone for an American release as well.
