The Tale of Silyan

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The Tale of Silyan
American theatrical release poster
MacedonianПриказната за Силјан
Directed byTamara Kotevska
Written by
  • Suz Curtis
  • Tamara Kotevska
Produced by
  • Jean Dakar
  • Anna Hashmi
  • Tamara Kotevska
  • Jordanco Petkovski
Starring
  • Nikola Conev
  • Aleksandar Conev
  • Aleksandra Conev
  • Ilina Conev
  • Jana Conev
CinematographyJean Dakar
Edited byMartin Ivanov
Music byJoe Wilson Davies
Hun OukPark
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release dates
  • August 29, 2025 (2025-08-29) (Venice)
  • September 22, 2025 (2025-09-22) (North Macedonia)
  • November 28, 2025 (2025-11-28) (United States)
  • December 12, 2025 (2025-12-12) (UK)
Running time
80 minutes[1]
Country
  • North Macedonia
LanguageMacedonian
Box office$30,296[2][3]

The Tale of Silyan (Macedonian: Приказната за Силјан) is a 2025 Macedonian documentary film produced, written and directed by Tamara Kotevska. It follows Macedonian farmer Nikola Conev and his family in the backdrop of the country economic instability. While Conev forms a bond with an injured white stork, his daughter and wife move to Germany in search of better life.[4]

The film had its world premiere out of competition at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2025,[5] it was theatrically released in North Macedonia on September 22, and in the United States on November 28 by Picturehouse.

It was selected as the Macedonian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated.

Plot

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A popular Macedonian folk tale follows Silyan, a young boy who wishes to leave his village and is turned into a white stork after being cursed by his own father.[6]

Somewhere in North Macedonia, Nikola and Jana Conev are a poor farmer couple who grow potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes and tobacco. The country, one of the few in the continent who is not a part of the European Union, faces a looming economical instability. When the markets start to shrink, and prices hit an all time low, the Conevs become unable to sell their crops. While many of the villagers decided to move abroad in search of a better life, Nikola refuses to leave the land he inherited from his family, and is still shaken by his eldest son's departure a few years ago.

Working as a landfill attendant, Nikola comes across an injured white stork, who he names Sylian, saving the bird and forming an unexpected bond. His daughter Ana decides to leave the country to Germany, with her husband and their children. Caught off-guard by the high cost of living, Ana asks for her mother's help. Jana also moves to Germany, leaving Nikola behind with Silyan in his old farm.

Cast

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  • Nikola Conev
  • Jana Conev
  • Aleksandar Conev
  • Aleksandra Conev
  • Ilina Conev
  • Stojco Filipov
  • Ile Stojkovski

Production

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Concordia Studio financed the film, with Davis Guggenheim and Laurene Powell Jobs among the executive producers.[7]

Release

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The Tale of Silyan had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on August 29, 2025.[8] The film was announced as Best Film in the Cinema and Arts Award competition.[9] It was also screened at the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival on September 10, 2025.[10][11]

In September 2025, the film was selected as the Macedonian entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.[12] The film premiered in North Macedonia on September 22, 2025.[13]

In September 2025, National Geographic Documentary Films acquired worldwide distribution rights to the documentary, planning to release it theatrically and then on Disney+ following a festival run.[14] The trailer and official poster for the film were released on October 30, 2025.[15] In October 2025, Picturehouse was announced as the film's North American theatrical distributor, with Dogwoof distributing internationally.[16] The film was theatrically released in the United States on November 28, 2025.[17] It will be broadcast on National Geographic on January 8, 2026, and will be available on Disney+ and Hulu on January 9, 2026.[18]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 100% rating based on 33 reviews.[19]

Accolades

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Award / Film Festival Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
IDA Documentary Awards December 6, 2025 Best Feature Documentary Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Tamara Kotevska and Jordanco Petkovski Won [20]
IDA Documentary Awards December 6, 2025 Best Cinematography Jean Dakar Won [20]
Producers Guild of America Awards February 28, 2026 Best Documentary Jean Dakar, Anna Hashmi, Tamara Kotevska and Jordanco Petkovski Pending [21]

See also

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References

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  6. ^ This fairy tale was published firstly in the end of the 19th century by the Bulgarian folklorist Marko Tsepenkov in Sofia. Сборник за народни умотворения, наука и книжнина, т. 7, 1892, стр. 193—206. (И. Т., Н. Ф.). Тодор Живков (2001) Фолклорно наследство. Вълшебни и новелистични приказки от Марко Цепенков, Том 2, София, Академично издателство "Проф.Марин Дринов", стр. 124.
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  21. ^ Lua error in Module:Citation/CS1/Configuration at line 2172: attempt to index field '?' (a nil value).
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  • The Tale of Silyan at IMDbLua error in Module:WikidataCheck at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
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