Angelina Jolie's directorial debut met with mixture of praise and anger

The first film that Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie has written and directed is set to be released on 23 December in the US.

'In The Land of Blood and Honey', which was shot in English, Serbian and Yugoslavian, tells the story of a romance between a Muslim woman artist and a Serbian army officer.

The film has been met with a mixed response with film critics praising the title and people in Bosnia have been negative, as it brings up bad memories.

However, Jolie's directorial debut has already won the Producers' Guild of America special award for the portrayal of social issues.

After the New York premiere, the mother of six said: "It's a very hard conflict to understand and region to completely understand. And I think it's very hard to watch intentionally.

"It's brutal, it shows brutality and we hope it gives people an authentic feel to be inside of something that is uncomfortable."

Jolie is known for her roles in 'Girl, Interrupted', 'Tomb Raider' and 'Mr and Mrs Smith' as she met her partner Brad Pitt during filming.