Angelina Jolie Reacts to Golden Globe Nomination for 'Blood and Honey': 'I Never Expected This'

Angelina Jolie was driving two of her children to their dentist appointments in the wee hours of Wednesday morning--she says likes to beat the rush--when she learned of the Golden Globe nomination for her directorial debut In the Land of Blood and Honey.

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The Bosnian war movie, which opens in select theaters in the U.S. on Dec. 23, was one of five films earning a spot in the best foreign langauge film category. Jolie shot the film both in English and Bosnian/Croation/Serbian; at her request, FilmDistrict will release it in BHS in the U.S.

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"I was on my way and turned on my phone, and saw the subject line on an email. I thought, this can't be. I never expected this," Jolie told The Hollywood Reporter in a phone interview. "Just to be able to make a film you care about and then get a distributor makes you happy."

Jolie also wrote the screenplay for Land of Blood and Honey, and went out of her way to cast actors from the region. Zana Marjanovic stars as a Muslim woman who is dating a Serb policeman, played by Goran Kostic, when the war breaks out, and who ends up at a rape camp now run by the policeman.

The actress-turned-director talked about the project at length in THR's cover story appearing in the Dec. 16 issue, and returned to some of those themes on Wednesday.

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Jolie said that being a director, and being responsible for the cast, is an exciting and rewarding experience. At the New York premiere of the film earlier this month, Jolie hosted 16 of the actors, some of whom have never been to the U.S.

"I've been through so many premieres. But to be with my cast means so much more. When I walked on the red carpet and saw them all lined up, I almost fell over. It was really rewarding," Jolie said.

Jolie co-financed the film with Graham King's GK Films, the parent company of FIlmDistrict.