Paradise (2024 film)

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Paradise
Paradise 2023 film poster.jpg
First look poster
Directed by Prasanna Vithanage
Written byPrasanna Vithanage
Screenplay byAnushka Senanayake
Produced bySanita Chittilappilly
Anto Chittilappilly
Mani Ratnam
Siva Ananth
Starring
Cinematography Rajeev Ravi
Edited by A. Sreekar Prasad
Music by K
Production
companies
Release date
  • 7 October 2023 (2023-10-07)(BIFF)
Running time
93 minutes
Countries
  • Sri Lanka
  • India
Languages

Paradise is a 2024 Sri Lankan-Indian co-produced drama film co-written and directed by Prasanna Vithanage. The film was presented by Mani Ratnam and Siva Ananth under his Madras Talkies banner and produced by Newton Cinema. It stars Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendran, Shyam Fernando and Mahendra Perera and tells story of a married couple whose anniversary vacation goes awry in Sri Lanka. [1]

Contents

It had its world premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2023, [2] where it won the Kim Jiseok award. [3]

Synopsis

An Indian tourist couple arrive in the hill country of crisis ridden Sri Lanka to celebrate their 5th wedding anniversary. But, when things take an unexpected turn, conflicts deepen revealing cracks in their relationship.

Cast

Release

Paradise had its world premiere at 28th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2023. [4]

The film was screened at the Mumbai Film Festival in Icons: South Asia section on 29 October 2023 for South Asia Premiere. [5]

Paradise is all set for its theatrical release in June 2024.

Reception

On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes website, the film has an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. [6]

Lee Marshall reviewing for ScreenDaily at Busan wrote, "Moving through the narrative with admirable dexterity, despite some contrived passages, it’s a well-made drama buoyed up by a raft of fine performances." [7]

Saibal Chatterjee reviewing for NDTV rated the film 4.5/5 and wrote, "Unswerving in its grasp of both philosophy and psychology, Prasanna Vithanage's Paradise is a masterly evocation of the frailty of 'man' when faced with a crisis." [8]

Santanu Das reviewing for Hindustan Times dubbed the film as "a stirring, important piece of work" and wrote, "As the drama inches its way closer to that shocking denouement, Paradise grapples to interrogate questions around politics and the state." [9]

Priyanka Sundar reviewing for Firstpost at Mumbai Film Festival rated the film 3.5/5 and wrote, "By the end, whose side you are on speaks volumes about who you are as a person than of the film itself, the film brings about this reflection of self, and of society with poignancy and that more than anything makes Paradise a winner." [10]

Accolades

The film won Kim Jiseok award at Busan International Film Festival, which is given to 2 films from the selected 10 films in the competition category for the Asian directors who have directed more than 3 feature films, and present their new film for premiere in the festival.

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Busan International Film Festival 13 October 2023 Kim Jiseok award Prasanna Vithanage Won [11]
Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema 13 February 2024Golden CycloNominated [12]
Prix du Jury LycéenWon
Asian Film Awards 10 March 2024 Best Film ParadiseNominated [13] [14]
Best Director Prasanna Vithanage Nominated
Best Editing A. Sreekar Prasad Nominated
Best Screenplay Prasanna Vithanage and Anushka SenanayakeNominated
Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival 27 April 2024 Audience Jury Award Prasanna Vithanage Won

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References

  1. ↑ "Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendran to headline 'Paradise'; Madras Talkies to present". The Hindu. 28 August 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  2. ↑ Kim, Da-sol (30 August 2023). "28th Busan Film Festival unveils selection for Asian auteur, rookie directors". The Korea Herald . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  3. ↑ Jo Ah-seo (13 October 2023). "부산국제영화제 오늘 폐막…"열흘간 영화로 물든 부산"" [Busan International Film Festival closes today... “Busan filled with movies for 10 days”]. News 1 (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  4. ↑ Liz Shackleton (30 August 2023). "Busan Announces New Currents, Jiseok Line-ups With Strong Showing From Bangladesh, Japan". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  5. ↑ "Paradise". Mumbai Academy of Moving Image. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  6. ↑ "Paradise (2023, Drama/Mystery & thriller)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  7. ↑ Marshall, Lee (13 October 2023). "'Paradise': Busan Review". ScreenDaily . Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  8. ↑ Saibal Chatterjee (30 October 2023). "Paradise Review: Beautifully Realised Drama Is Beyond Masterful". NDTV. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  9. ↑ Santanu Das (7 November 2023). "Paradise review: A marriage is put to test in Prasanna Vithanage's tightly controlled drama". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  10. ↑ Priyanka Sundar (31 October 2023). "Paradise Movie Review: Demons within us & outside portrayed poignantly - Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023". Firstpost. Retrieved 28 February 2024.
  11. ↑ Shackleton, Liz (1 November 2023). "Prasanna Vithanage On Sri Lanka's Economic Crisis; Power Dynamics In Society & Marriage In Award-Winning Feature 'Paradise' – Mumbai Film Festival". Deadline . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  12. ↑ Ramachandran, Naman (14 February 2024). "'Snow Leopard' Wins Top Prize at Vesoul Asian Festival". Variety . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  13. ↑ Frater, Patrick (11 January 2024). "'Evil Does Not Exist', '12.12: The Day' Lead Asian Film Awards Nominations". Variety . Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  14. ↑ Frater, Patrick (10 March 2024). "'Evil Does Not Exist' Wins Best Picture at Asian Film Awards". Variety . Retrieved 10 March 2024.
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