The Tale of Silyan (12A)

A farmer grappling with poverty takes an injured white stork under his wing, in this visually arresting part-documentary, part-fable. 

In the fields of Macedonia, faced with the harsh realities of new government policies, farmer Nikola finds himself unable to sell his land or crops. As his family leaves in search of a better life abroad, he takes a job as a landfill attendance, where he rescues an injured stork. 

As he nurses Silyan back to health, an unlikely bond emerges, and the line between reality and folk-tale is blurred. The stork Silyan was a farmer's son, who upon abandoning his family, was turned into a bird by his father's curse. 

The result is Tamara Kotevska's deeply moving film that brings her favourite childhood story to life, with glowing cinematography. The genre-blending work touches on climate change, economic migration, resilience and the power of connection. 

DIRECTOR: Tamara Kotevska 

CAST: Aleksandar Conev, Nikola Conev, Aleksandra Coneva