The Tale of Silyan

In 2019, Macedonian director Tamara Kotevska was widely praised for her documentary Honeyland, in which she portrayed Europe's last female bee hunter. It earned her two Oscar nominations, among other accolades. In her new documentary, The Tale of Silyan, she shows how a farmer and his wife try to hold their own in the Macedonian countryside, intertwining their fortunes with local folklore: an ancient folk tale about a farmer's son, Silyan, who is cursed by his father and then turns into a lonely stork.

Sixty-year-old Nikola and his wife Jana have been growing all kinds of crops on their land for years. When wholesale prices collapse and their daughter Ana emigrates to Germany, they have no choice but to sell the land for a pittance. Nikola finds a new job at a local landfill, where one day he finds an injured stork; he decides to take care of the bird. A very special bond develops between human and animal, which is beneficial for both.