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2025 SFFILM Festival

Surviving Earth

Directed by Thea Gajić

UK | Fiction | 97

19 Apr
Sat, Apr 19 at 6:30 pm PT

Description

When we first meet Vlad, a charismatic Yugoslav refugee, he appears larger than life. A recovering addict who cherishes his teenage daughter and hard-won friendships, he bursts with possibility. During the day he counsels fellow addicts at a center in Bristol. At night, he finds joy playing music with fellow Slavic refugees. Vlad’s energy belies his stability, and his newly built world begins to fracture after a series of unfortunate events. Vlad soldiers on, convincing his bandmates to host a Balkan concert to celebrate their progress as immigrants and musicians, but behind the bravado he wrestles with his demons and the terror of failure. Slavko Sobin’s portrayal of Vlad is formidable in this drama based on true events, the actor achieves a complicated mix of optimism and tragedy without a false note. With riveting performances and stunning musical segments, Surviving Earth is a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the daily work of sobriety.—Jessie Fairbanks

Director Thea Gajić

Thea Gajić is an actress, writer, and director of Serbian descent who was born and raised in South London. Her first short, Run (2016), won BFI Future Film Fest’s New Talent Award. Her other shorts include The Importance of Skin (2017), ELI (2018), and Ajar (2020). Surviving Earth is her first feature.

Film Details

LanguageEnglish, Serbian

Year2025

Runtime97

CountryUK

DirectorThea Gajić

ProducerAleksandra Bilić, Sophie Reynolds

WriterThea Gajić

EditorIzabella Curry

CinematographerOlan Collardy

CastSlavko Sobin, Olive Gray, Stuart Martin

Closed CaptionsClosed Captions are not currently confirmed for this film

Audio DescriptionAudio Descriptions are confirmed for this film

American Sign Language (ASL) InterpretationAmerican Sign Language Interpretation is not currently scheduled for this film