Film Title

The Tale of Silyan 

Director

Tamara Kotevska 

تمارا كوتيفسكا

Arabic title 

حكاية سيليان

Synopsis

A farmer’s bond with a white stork intertwines with North Macedonian folklore.

Nikola, a farmer grappling with the harsh realities of new government policies, 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. The result is a deeply moving film that touches on climate change, economic migration, resilience and the quiet power of connection.

Production Year

2026

Production Countries

North Macedonia, USA

Running Time

1h20

Language / Subtitles

In Macedonian, English with English subtitles

Festivals/Awards

Best Feature Documentary, Best Cinematography - International Documentary Association 2025

Cinema & Arts Award - Venice Film Festival 2025

Documentaire Extraordinaire, Special Mention - Bergen International Film Festival 2025

Director’s bio

Tamara Kotevska was born in Prilep, North Macedonia, and fell in love with filmmaking early on. At the age of twelve, Kotevska picked up a VHS camera and began capturing childhood memories and neighborhood stories. In 2010, she won a US exchange student scholarship and moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee, where she continued to study documentary filmmaking. Upon her return to North Macedonia, Kotevska began a 2-year collaboration with director Ljubo Stefanov to co-direct LAKE OF APPLES (2016), a short documentary that received over ten grand prizes in international documentary festivals around the world. After this film, Tamara co-directed her debut feature-length documentary HONEYLAND. The film went on to win three awards at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival (Grand Jury Prize for World Cinema Documentary, Impact Award, Cinematography Award) and two Academy Award nominations in 2020 for Best Documentary Feature and Best International Feature. At the time, it was the only documentary film in history to be nominated in both categories. After HONEYLAND, Kotevska directed her second feature-length documentary, THE WALK, produced by the Academy Award-winning British production company Grain Media. THE WALK had its world premiere at DOC NYC 2023 and its European Premiere at CPH:DOX 2024. She is currently in post-production on her debut fiction film, MAN VS. FLOCK, and is developing a new documentary about the Dolgan mammoth tusk hunters, which will shoot in the northernmost area of the Siberian tundra. In her films, Kotevska aims to create new forms of filmmaking, unforgettable stories, strong characters and perception-shifting messages.