Winner of Best European Radio Documentary at the Prix Europa 2021
Finalist at the Third Coast Festival 2023
Fly or Die
A story flies away from the truth. 28 years ago, a man found an injured baby stork. Shot in the wing, she couldn’t fly. She was predestined to die. But the man changed her destiny.
Did he know that she would change his destiny just as much?
To keep her safe, warm and well fed, Stjepan had to give up on his own freedom of movement. Thanks to him – and against all odds – Malena was not only able to live, but also to find love – Klepetan.*
About 10 years ago an article about the old man and the stork came out in a local newspaper. Little by little the news spread, gaining worldwide fame as an unusual love story. But life is not a novel. Being someone’s wings is a full-time position. There’s no vacation, no retirement and especially not when the spotlights are on.
*In Croatian, Malena means ‘The Little One’, and Klepetan ‘The Clattering One’.
Winner of Best European Radio Documentary at the Prix Europa 2021 and Finalist at 2023 Third Coast Festival
A feature by Marta Medvešek
With music by Jan Johansson
Coach: Gabriela Hermer
Sound: Bodo Pasternak, Erik Lehman, Marta Medvešek
Cover art: Vanja Perković
Produced for the Åke Blomström Award with support of rbb, 2020.
Special thanks to Edwin Brys and the Åke Blomström 2019 training group.
Since winning the Best European Radio Documentary prize at the 2021 Prix Europa, “Fly or Die” has already traveled to festivals, radio stations and classrooms in a dozen countries all over the world, and has been translated into four languages.