The film tells the stories of three would-be mothers in medieval and contemporary North Macedonia. It stars young actors Nikola Risteski, Sara Klimoska, Natalia Teodosieva, Nenad Nacev, and the more experienced Kamka Tocinovski.
Willow was coproduced by Jane Kjortosev through Banana Film, with Baba Film, Pioneer Pictures (Hungary), the Tirana Film Institute (Albania), and Belgian companies Saga Film and BNP Paribas Fortis Film Finance. The late British producer Nik Powell was the executive producer.
The sales are handled by the Paris-based Reel Suspects.
Willow premiered at the Rome Film Festival and had a record-breaking run in the director’s native North Macedonia.
In 1995 Manchevski's Before the Rain / Pred doždot (1994), the first film made in the independent Republic of Macedonia, received an Academy Awards nomination in the Best Foreign Language Film category. Before the Rain was produced by UK's Aim Productions in coproduction with France's Noe Productions and Macedonia's Vardar Film.
The nominations for the 93rd Academy Awards will be announced on 15 March 2021 and the ceremony is scheduled for 25 April 2021.