On September 7th, the first feature film by Serbian-Canadian director Sanja Živković premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). In the film, titled Easy Land. the main roles are played by Mirjana Joković and Nina Kiri, who also attended the premiere.

Mirjana Joković, Sanja Živković and Nina Kiri

The film focuses on the relationship between a mother and a daughter that migrate from Belgrade to Canada. New circumstances in which Jasna (the famous Serbian actress Mirjana Joković) finds herself cause psychological problems and put to the test her already shaky relationship with her daughter Nina (Nina Kiri, a Canadian actress of Serbian descent, known for her role in the series Handmaid’s Tale).

 The young director is very pleased with the premiere. In a statement to our website, Sanja Živković said: “It was almost an unreal experience. I watched my movie debut on the big screen in a sold-out screening at the Toronto Festival, and shared that moment with the phenomenal cast and young crew who did their best to make the film a reality. There were also many people from Serbia as well as Canadians who also responded well to the topics in the film. I was especially pleased when viewers approached me after the screening, hugging me and crying, saying that this is a movie about all of us. “

Mirjana Joković, Maja Banković and Sanja Živković

This Serbian-language film was shot as a Canadian production with the help of Telefilm’s “Talents to Watch” program, and with the support of the Canadian Council for the Arts. The script was written by the director herself, and the producer is Julie Strifler, in partnership with the Canadian Film Centre. The cinematographer is Maja Banković, and other key contributors include set designer David Denis, costume designer Kristin Somborac and editor Chris Mutton.

Daniel Kash and Sanja Živković

In addition to the director and lead actresses, the premiere was attended by Canadian actor Daniel Cash (known for episodic roles in Alien 2, The Night of the Living Dead and Mama)  who also has a role in the film, as well as producer Julie Strifler and cinematographer Maja Banković.