Director Luno Dias, writer and producer Nicole Stojanovska with actors Tommy Vangelovski, Zora Sazdanov and Isabella Apostolovski at the premiere of The Things We Bury at the Gala Cinema in Warrawong. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
The Gala Cinema in Warrawong was packed and buzzing for the launch of Horsley filmmaker Nicole Stojanovska’s The Things We Bury.
The short film follows a conversation between a Macedonian grandmother and her granddaughter in Australia and explores the tension created by the vast differences between past and present.
Nicole is determined to elevate the unique stories of Macedonian-Australians, and the Illawarra’s Macedonian community turned out for the film’s premiere in droves.
Nicole said it was the first time any of them had the chance to see their culture on the big screen.
“This was inspired by real events from rural Macedonia in the 1950s,” she said.
“We had a budget of about $2000; it was a passion project, so we recreated rural 1950s Macedonia on a shoestring budget.
“We sourced proper clothing from Macedonian groups; everything is authentic.
“It’s a way to keep our culture and history alive, connect with each other and show the Macedonian community what it feels like to have on-screen representation.”
Director Luno Dias said the film showcased characters anyone could identify with in a story rooted firmly in the Macedonian experience.
He said it was crucial to the film’s success to balance historical realism without veering into sensationalism.
“It’s been a real privilege to be part of the film,” he said.
“The story is inspired by real women and the people in the film in one way or another really did exist, so I felt an obligation to honour them as well as the past and present of the Macedonian community here in the Illawarra.
“I connected with the story because it talks about people from the past with a lot of resilience and a lot of fight in them.
“It’s amazing to reach the end of this journey and be met with all this love and attention – none of us could have asked for a better ending.”
Centre of attention at the premiere was one of the film’s stars Tommy Vangelovski.
Although this was Tommy’s first experience on the big screen, he’s no stranger to fame.
His TikTok channel is described as the Macedonian answer to SooshiMango and has more than 100,000 followers.
He said when Nicole approached him about being part of the film he didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I’ve known Nicole my whole life and I know what her grandmother and my grandmother went through,” he said.
“I think my closeness with my grandparents motivated me to share the hardships they went through that our generation doesn’t understand.
“Sometimes they would come off as stern, but after losing children, travelling to another country with an empty suitcase, it was a way of survival for them.
“We live in the luckiest country and it is important to preserve these stories and remember where we come from.
“We hear a lot from the Turkish, Greek and Italian communities so it’s cool to hear a Macedonian’s point of view – all our stories are unique.”
Tommy’s co-star Isabella Apostolovski said the buzz at the premiere was undeniable.
“We’ve waited so long for this, there has been so much talk and hype; I’m very proud of everyone involved,” she said.
Nicole anticipates taking the film on tour around Australia – and has had screening enquiries from the US and UK – before it is made available online.
She hopes the strong turnout will demonstrate the market and whet appetites for more stories from the Macedonian community.
She has another creative work in the pipeline – Gia, a comedy set in Port Kembla – but she hopes the high from The Things We Bury will last until its release.
