Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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The writer-director of a drama about a Yugoslavian refugee embracing a life in Bristol and battling addiction visits BFI Southbank, along with key cast from the film.

Based on a true story, Thea Gajić’s feature debut follows Vlad, a Yugoslav refugee who fled the 1990s conflict and rebuilt his life in Bristol. By day, he works as a drugs counsellor. By night, he leads a Balkan band that reconnects him to his roots. As the band seeks success, unresolved trauma resurfaces, straining the fragile peace he’s built, particularly his relationship with his daughter. In this turbulent environment, music becomes both a refuge from, and a reminder of, the past.

Surviving Earth was made with the support of the BFI, awarding National Lottery funding. 

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