Following its world premiere at the 2019 Rome Film Festival on 19 October 2019, the film won several awards, had a record-breaking run in the director’s native North Macedonia and was selected as the Macedonian candidate in the Oscars’ international feature film category.

Kino Lorber has been around since 1977 with a library of more than 4,000 titles. The US distributor acquired the rights through Reel Suspects, which is handling worldwide sales for the film.

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.

This is the sixth feature film and also the sixth US release for New York-based Manchevski, whose acclaimed debut Before the Rain was Oscar-nominated in 1994 and so earned the country’s first Oscar nomination.

The Macedonian/Hungarian/Albanian/Belgian coproduction was produced by Jane Kjortosev through Banana Film in coproduction with Baba Film, Pioneer Pictures (Hungary), 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.

In the upcoming period before the Oscar nominations, Willow continues its festival streak, and will have special screenings at pre-Oscar events in New York, and Los Angeles and California.

Willow will also be available in the offer of the HBO on-demand video streaming service – HBO GO in Europe during 2021 and 2022. Later this year the film will also be released in Hungarian cinemas through Budapest Film, followed by a VOD and TV release. During 2021, releases are planned in Serbia, Belgium, Croatia, Bulgaria, Slovenia, Albania, Montenegro and the UK.