The feature-length documentary Wings of the Singing Birds, written and directed by Heyman Khaledi, has been selected for the documentary competition at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, which will take place from September 17 to 26, 2025. The film will have its world premiere at this prestigious event.
This documentary marks Heyman Khaledi’s first feature-length directorial project and presents an interwoven narrative following the lives of three couples as they navigate issues of migration. The film is set in Darreh Tafi village, Marivan, Kurdistan, where humans and storks coexist in a rare harmony.
At the center of the story is an elderly woman caring simultaneously for her 100-year-old husband and an injured stork, while her daughter prepares to migrate to Europe to join her husband. Wings of the Singing Birds seeks to portray migration without judgment, offering a fresh perspective on rural life—not through the lens of poverty or nostalgia, but with empathy and humanity.
The research, production, and post-production of the documentary took four years to complete.
The film is produced by Sargol Moradi, Ina Tedjva, and Zina Bruyan, and is a co-production between Iran, Georgia, and Belgium.