The movie
The Tale of Silyan
In The Tale of Silyan, Nikola’s life miraculously mirrors a 17th-century Macedonian folk tale about Silyan, a farmer’s son who is cursed by his father and, as a result, transforms into a lonely stork.
Description
Nikola, a farmer struggling with the harsh reality of new government regulations, finds he cannot sell his land or crops. When his family leaves in search of a better life abroad, Nikola takes a job at a landfill, where he encounters a wounded white stork named Silyan. As he cares for the bird and helps it regain its strength, an unexpected bond forms between human and animal.
The Tale of Silyan weaves Nikola’s life with a 17th-century Macedonian folk tale about a cursed farmer’s son who turns into a stork. The result is an intimate and moving documentary about connection, resilience, and hope, in which director Tamara Kotevska (Honeyland) also touches on themes such as climate change and migration.
