Ilija Volčeski

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.

Three Macedonian women have to contend with control over their bodies, tradition, loyalty, pregnancy and adoption. They have not set out to change the world or society, but their struggle to become mothers makes them unlikely heroines. The three bittersweet stories, one medieval, two contemporary, mirror and contrast one another, exploring themes of love, trust and motherhood.

In a decaying apartment, three friends become pawns in a charismatic stranger’s perverse psychological game, turning their sanctuary into a claustrophobic battlefield where loyalty is the most dangerous weapon.

In a society where almost everybody farts backwards, six stubborn, proper-farting citizens pay a harsh price for being resolute to staying true to their own values.

In the aftermath of their patriarch's sudden demise, a multi-generational Macedonian family grapples with shadows of uncertainty, burdened by an outdated cybercafé and a house desperately in need of renovation. The family's dysfunction and struggle to cope with intergenerational gaps is laid bare when they receive a tempting offer promising comfort and a fresh start, but compromising their unity and peace. As tensions escalate, a critical decision looms, forcing the family to face the inevitable question: Who will make the ultimate sacrifice?

A miserable middle-aged office worker forced to take care of his impaired mother is brought to an eye-opening realization.

After the loss of his unborn child and estrangement from his wife, Job tries to find a new purpose in his life.