Synopsis
In Stip, a small town in Macedonia, every January the local priest throws a wooden cross into the river and hundreds of men dive after it. Good fortune and prosperity are guaranteed to the man who retrieves it. This time, Petrunya dives into the water on a whim and manages to grab the cross before the others. Her competitors are furious - how dare a woman take part in their ritual? All hell breaks loose, but Petrunya holds her ground. She won her cross and will not give it up.
Teona Strugar Mitevska
Director’s biography
Teona Strugar Mitevska was born in 1974 in an artistic family in Skopje, Macedonia. She started as a child actor, trained as a painter and a graphic designer and later studied at M.F.A program in film at the Tisch School of Arts, New York University. She made her debut as short film director in 2001 with Veta (Special Jury Prize Berlin Film Festival 2002). How I Killed a Saint (Rotterdam Film Festival, Tiger Awards 2004) is her first feature made under the auspices of Sisters and Brother Mitevski, a company she established together with her brother Vuk and sister Labina. Teona Strugar Mitevska lives in Brussels, Belgium with her son Kaeliok.