Docs: The Tale of Silyan

Silyan is a mythical character from a 17th-century Macedonian folk tale. The farmer's son wants to escape the hard work on the land, but his father is not happy about this. He casts a spell on Silyan and turns him into a stork, condemned forever to fly between continents, without ever being able to settle down or have his own land.

Inspired by this legend, The Tale of Silyan follows a real white stork (Silyan) who lives in perfect harmony with the farmers in the Macedonian countryside. Life is good, until local families are unable to sell their crops due to new government policies. Most farmers are forced to sell their land at a low price and emigrate. One of these farmers is Nikola. His family has left for abroad in search of a better future. Unable to sell his land, Nikola is forced to take a job as a landfill worker.

There he meets Silyan, who has been abandoned by his family because of a broken wing. They learn to understand each other and feel connected because they are both on their own. Silyan has such an influence on Nikola that he quits his job at the rubbish dump and returns to his farmland to bring the storks back to the fertile soil.