A coproduction between the USA, UK, and North Macedonia, The Tale of Silyan is set to have its world premiere out of competition at the Venice Film Festival (27 August – 9 September), followed by its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (4 – 14 September 2025).

The film tells the moving story of a wounded white stork rescued from a landfill by a Macedonian farmer named Nikola, an act that profoundly transforms both their lives. The title references a Macedonian folk tale about a boy named Silyan who, after a quarrel with his father, is turned into a stork. The legend echoes the real-life experiences of Nikola and his distant son.

The cast includes Nikola Conev, Jana Coneva, Aleksandra Coneva, Aleksandar Conev, Ilina Coneva, Ile Stojkovski, and Stojco Filipov.

Produced by Anna Hashmi through The Cornershop (UK, USA), Tamara Kotevska and Jean Dakar through Ciconia Film (North Macedonia), and Jordančo Petkovski through Nest Production(North Macedonia), The Tale of Silyan was fully financed by Concordia Studio, which joined as producer in early 2024. The executive producers include Casey Meurer, Lizzie Fox, Davis Guggenheim, and Laurene Powell Jobs.

The film’s cinematography is by Jean Dakar, who previously worked with Kotevska on her second long documentary The Walk (Syria, Turkey, France, Palestine, Greece, UK) and her debut feature Man vs Flock / Covek protivjato, produced by Video Studio Petkovski North Macedonia in coproduction with Nukleus film Croatia, Asterisk Greece, Zeyno Film Turkey, Cine Planet Montenegro, and Filmoskopija Serbia.

The music is composed by Joe Wilson and Davies Hun Oukpark.

The UTA Independent Film Group represents the film for North American and worldwide sales.