Selected as North Macedonia’s Oscar entry for Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, the docu-fable The Tale of Silyan follows a farmer who develops a unique bond with a wounded white stork as he nurses the bird back to health.
Directed by Tamara Kotevska (Honeyland), it world premiered at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, then played at Toronto International Film Festival, and is scheduled to open in theaters on Friday, November 28 via National Geographic.
Set in the heart of rural North Macedonia, Nikola, a farmer, is grappling with the harsh realities of new government policies, and finds himself unable to sell his land or crops. When his family leaves in search of a better life abroad, Nikola takes a job as a landfill attendant, where he encounters the injured white stork Silyan. As he nurses the bird back to health, an unlikely bond forms between man and animal. Woven through their journey is a rich North Macedonian folktale, infusing the film with a lyrical, mythical quality. The result is a deeply moving film that touches on climate change, economic migration, resilience and the quiet power of connection.
“The white stork is a mythical creature in my home country of North Macedonia, so I’m thrilled to partner with National Geographic Documentary Films to be able to share an ancient tale from my childhood about these majestic birds with audiences at festivals, in cinemas and at home,” said Kotevska.
She added, “I have devoted my life as a filmmaker to two topics: migration and nature conservation. This film marries the two, as modern macro economics lead people to abandon fertile lands in search of work in urban cities, depleting the white storks’ natural food supply as farms become landfills. It is a stark warning about the direction we are heading.”
Watch the official trailer for The Tale of Silyan above.
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