EXCLUSIVE: Czech Republic-based sales firm Filmotor has acquired international rights to Yulia Lokshina’s documentary Around Paradise.
The film will have its world premiere in the Panorama section at Berlin Film Festival next month.
Set in the poor Paraguayan region of Caazapa, Around Paradise follows two young Paraguayan students searching for happiness, gold and a mythical bird; while behind the fences of a new gated community, European settlers seek salvation for themselves and their savings.
It is produced by Isabelle Bertolone and David Armati Lechner of Germany’s Trimafilm, and co-produced by ZDF. Backing comes from FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, the German Federal Film Fund (DFFF) and Hessen Film.
“We were drawn to the film’s complex mosaic and its nuanced, timely exploration of belief systems, displacement and contemporary forms of colonial thinking,” said a Filmotor statement. “Steeped in an atmosphere of uncertainty, Around Paradise stands out as a powerful postcard of our times.”
“Around Paradise chronicles the everyday life of people who have moved from virtual networks of chat groups into the physical space of South America,” said Lokshina. “It explores how identities are formed through myth-making, among Europeans and locals alike.
“The film is made for viewers from divided societies, for those who have felt compelled to sever ties or have struggled to find dialogue, and it looks at the inseparable link between real-life hardships, imaginary worlds and crumbling promises of salvation.”
The film joins a Filmotor slate that also includes Better Go Mad In The Wild, winner of the Crystal Globe at last year’s Karlovy Vary Film Festival; and IDFA titles Silent Flood and Elephants And Squirrels.
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