National Geographic Documentary Films Unveils Trailer and Theatrical Release Dates for the Award-Winning “The Tale of Silyan” [VIDEO]

Today, National Geographic Documentary Films announced the award-winning documentary THE TALE OF SILYAN will make its theatrical debut this fall, opening in select U.S. theaters on November 28 and in U.K. cinemas on December 12.

The official trailer launched today, offering a first look at this poignant and visually arresting story about a wounded white stork and a down-on-his-luck farmer who form an unlikely bond. The film, which hails from Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Tamara Kotevska (“Honeyland”) and premiered at the Venice Film Festival to universal critical acclaim.

Just this month, THE TALE OF SILYAN was named to DOC NYC’s 2025 shortlist, which showcases 15 of the year’s best documentaries. It was also one of only 10 films selected for SCAD Savannah Film Festival’s 2025 “Docs to Watch” panel. In addition, it received two 2025 Critics Choice Documentary Award nominations (Best Documentary Feature and Best Cinematography for Jean Dakar).

Winner of the Best Film Cinema and Arts Award at the 82nd Venice Film Festival, THE TALE OF SILYAN follows Nikola, a farmer in rural North Macedonia grappling with the harsh realities of new government policies, who 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 discovers 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.

The film offers a meditation on humanity’s connection to the environment. Through the use of a traditional fable, it explores the healing power we find in our relationships with our community and the natural world around us.

Early reviews for THE TALE OF SILYAN have critics calling it “a triumph” (IndieWire), “captivating, earthbound, airborne and magical” (The Hollywood Reporter), and “exquisite… a beautiful and gently melancholy paean to a delicately interconnected ecosystem disrupted by the pressures of modern life” (Screen International). POV Magazine praised it as “a beauty of a film – a wonder to behold with striking cinematography and poetic storytelling,” while Filmmaker Magazine hailed it as “painstakingly crafted.”

“This film is very close to my heart,” said Kotevska. “Silyan, the one stork we follow, represents many – each carrying their own journey of survival and return. It’s a story that took time, patience, and love to make. Working with Jean Dakar, whose cinematography brings the world of the film to life in such a breathtaking and deeply immersive way, has been an incredible collaboration.”

“We are delighted to partner with Tamara, having been big admirers of her beautiful debut film ‘Honeyland,'” said Carolyn Bernstein, EVP of Documentary Films at National Geographic. “Working with talented cinematographer Jean Dakar, she has created a true original, blending social issue vérité and stunning nature cinematography with a poetic fable. THE TALE OF SILYAN is an unforgettable and uplifting ode to love, empathy and the healing power of nature.”

The film will roll out in North Macedonia and other international territories at later dates, with Restart releasing it in Croatia on January 8 with plans to expand in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, and Slovenia; Imagine Entertainment releasing in Belgium and the Netherlands on January 29; additional territories, including with Madman in Australia and New Zealand, as well as So Films in Poland are yet to be dated.

Kotevska and Dakar (who doubles as cinematographer) produce for Ciconia Film, alongside The Corner Shop’s Anna Hashmi, as well as Jordanco Petkovski. The film is executive produced by Concordia Studio’s Oscar-winner Davis Guggenheim (“An Inconvenient Truth”), Laurene Powell Jobs, Casey Meurer, and Lizzie Fox, as well as National Geographic Documentary Films’ Carolyn Bernstein and Tim Horsburgh. Martin Ivanov is editor, and Joe Wilson Davies and HunOuk Park composed the music. Picturehouse distributes in the U.S., while Dogwoof is the international theatrical distributor.

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