Biography
Vivian Säde is a screenwriter and director from Tallinn, Estonia. Säde usually finds herself telling stories about (Estonian) girlhood, utilizing the tone of offbeat comedy-drama with a bit of other-worldliness mixed in for good measure.
Säde is currently developing the magical realism short film Mari, Sweetie with Volia Chajkouskaya (from Oscar-nominated Estonian production company Allfilm) and Gabrielė Vaičiūnaitė (from the Lithuanian WHY Films.) The film is about Mari, a seemingly ordinary twenty-something woman, who must dive deep into her subconscious to save both her present and pre-teen selves. The project won the Radiator Sales IP Award in Baltic Pitching Forum's 2023 edition and the team is set to pitch in Brussels Co-Production Market's Short Film Sessions 2024 in June. Follow along with the journey at @marisweetiefilm on Instagram!
Säde's comedy-drama web series Kalamaja Blues, created under the Yle: Finnish National Broadcasting Company's Instagram initiative @areena.stories, premiered in the Digital Short Form Competition Program of Germany's biggest television series festival Seriencamp in June 2024. The series had a successful domestic release, reaching the top 2 of all content on the ERR: Estonian National Broadcasting Company's streaming platform Jupiter. The behind-the-scenes of the project can be seen at @kalamajablues on Instagram. Säde is the writer-director for the series and it was produced under her production company Moondustfilms (est. 2018.)
Säde graduated cum laude with a Bachelor's degree in Audiovisual Media from Tallinn University's Baltic Film and Media School as a writer-director in 2020 and cum laude from Edinburgh Napier University (Screen Academy Scotland) with a Master's degree in Screenwriting in 2021.
It's About a Wedding, a comedy-drama short film written and directed by Säde, premiered in the National Competition program of Black Nights Film Festival’s PÖFF Shorts 2020 film festival to critical acclaim.
Säde co-produced and directed a music video titled 'Never Forget Who You Are' from Singing Revolution, a musical from the USA that premiered in Los Angeles in 2022. Säde’s first short film as a writer-director titled 'Sherlock and I' was completed in 2018 and won the Best Supporting Actor award at the film school-wide 'Best of BFM' showcase.
Säde is also a member of the Estonian Filmmakers Association.