North American Premiere
In this quietly affecting, deeply personal debut, Stefan Djordjevic subtly but notably occupies both sides of the camera, painting a delicate portrait of a young man processing the loss of his mother. On his way to reunite with family at their lake house to celebrate his grandmother’s birthday, he hits a dog with his car. As he rescues and nurtures the wounded animal back to health, his own heart begins to mend.
Featuring an award-worthy canine performance and a cast of mostly the director’s own relatives, this gentle meditation on family and loss is steeped in the cadence of natural life, the passage of time, and moments of stillness. Stefan’s assured docufictional methodology and use of personal footage give the film a gravitas that is sensitively repurposed into a celebration of life — the ultimate nod to those no longer with us.
Vanguard Award, VIFF 2025; Heart of Sarajevo (Best Feature Film), Sarajevo 2025
Media Partner
Community Partner
Negrica Djordjevic, Stefan Djordjevic, Bosko Djordjevic, Djordje Davidovic, Budimir Jovanovic, Ljiljana Jovanovic
Serbia/Slovenia/Croatia
2025
In Serbian with English subtitles
Book Tickets
Credits & Director
Producer
Dragana Jovovic, Stefan Ivancic, Ognjen Glavonic, Stefan Djordjevic
Screenwriter
Stefan Djordjevic
Cinematography
Marko Brdar
Editor
Tomislav Stojanovic, Dragan von Petrovic
Production Design
Dragana Bacovic
Original Music
Ivan Judas
Stefan Djordjevic
Stefan Djordjevic (born 1987, Serbia) was introduced to film through his leading role in Nikola Lezaic’s debut Tilva Rosh (Locarno, 2010), which was nominated for the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI at the 2011 European Film Awards. He completed his MA in Camera at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrade. His graduation film A Handful of Stones (2017) premiered in Cannes’ ACID program. His shorts The Last Image of Father (2019) and Portrait of a Dying Giant (2023) received international acclaim.
Filmography: The Last Image of Father (2019); Portrait of a Dying Giant (2023)
Missing VIFF? Check out what's playing at the VIFF Centre
The Power of Restitution: The Spoils
Join us for a special free screening of The Spoils, an acclaimed documentary about German-Jewish art dealer Max Stern, followed by a live panel discussion exploring the urgent and evolving global movement for art restitution.
The Music Room
Devan Scott continues his journey through the history of lighting. This week, he credits Indian director of photography Subrata Mitra for profound innovations that laid the foundation for ideas of motivated lighting + screening of The Music Room.
Holy Days
After his mom passes, Brian (Elijah Tamati) is comforted by Sisters Agnes, Luke and Mary Clare (Judy Davis, Miriam Margolyes and Jacki Weaver, respectively). The quirky quartet hit the road to save their convent from being sold to a property developer.
Blue Heron
In the late 1990s, eight-year-old Sasha and her Hungarian immigrant family relocate to a new home on Vancouver Island. Their fresh start is interrupted by increasingly dangerous behaviour from Jeremy, the family’s oldest child.