Paradise (2023 film)
| Paradise | |
|---|---|
 First look poster | |
| Directed by | Prasanna Vithanage |
| Written by | Prasanna Vithanage |
| Screenplay by | Anushka Senanayake |
| Produced by | Newton Cinema Mani Ratnam Siva Ananth |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Rajeev Ravi |
| Edited by | A. Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | K |
Production companies | |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 95 minutes |
| Countries |
|
| Languages | |
Paradise is a 2023 Sri Lankan-Indian co-produced drama film, co-written and directed by Prasanna Vithanage. The film is presented by Mani Ratnam and Siva Ananth under the Madras Talkies banner and produced by Newton Cinema. It stars Roshan Mathew, Darshana Rajendran, Shyam Fernando and Mahendra Perera and tells the story of a married couple whose anniversary vacation goes awry in Sri Lanka.[1]
Paradise had its world premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2023, where it won the Kim Jiseok Award.[2]
Synopsis
[edit]An Indian tourist couple arrives in the hill country of crisis-ridden Sri Lanka to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary. As events take an unexpected turn conflicts deepen, revealing cracks in their relationship.
Cast
[edit]- Roshan Mathew as Kesav
- Darshana Rajendran as Amritha
- Shyam Fernando as Mr. Andrew (Tour Guide)
- Mahendra Perera as Sergeant Bandara
- Sumith Ilango as Shree
- Azher Samsoodeen as Iqbal
- Neeraja Rajendran as Amritha's Mother
Release
[edit]Paradise had its world premiere at the 28th Busan International Film Festival on 7 October 2023 where it won the Kim Jiseok Award. [3]
The film was screened at the Mumbai Film Festival in the “Icons: South Asia” section on 29 October 2023 for its South Asia premiere.[4]
Paradise had its European premiere at the 30th Vesoul International Film Festival [5] 2024. Subsequent premieres included the Beijing International Film Festival [6] in China, the Red Lotus Asian Film Festival in Austria, and the Asiatiska Film Festival 2024 in Sweden.
The North American premiere took place at the New York Indian Film Festival [7] 2024 and the Australian premiere occurred at the Sydney Film Festival 2024.
Paradise was featured in the “Features” section of the 71st Sydney Film Festival on 13 June 2024.
The film was released in theatres worldwide on 28 June 2024 and is now available on streaming platforms including Prime Video, Manorama Max and Simply South.
Festival appearances
[edit]| Year | Festival |
|---|---|
| 2023 | Busan International Film Festival |
| Mumbai Academy of the Moving Image (MAMI) | |
| International Film Festival of Kerala | |
| Dharamshala International Film Festival | |
| 2024 | Vesoul International Film Festival |
| Bengaluru International Film Festival | |
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival | |
| Pune International Film Festival | |
| Shanghai International Film Festival | |
| Beijing International Film Festival | |
| New York Indian Film Festival | |
| Sydney Film Festival | |
| Cinevesture International Film Festival | |
| Indo German Film Week Festival | |
| Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | |
| Red Lotus Asian Film Festival | |
| Asiatiska Film Festivalen | |
| XVII International Film Festival Orenburg | |
| Kazan International Film Festival | |
| 7th Ha Noi International Film Festival |
Reception
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Paradise has an approval rating of 100% based on 7 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10.[8]
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 [9]."
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. [10]"
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. [11]"
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. [12]"
Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com rated 4/5 stars and observed, "Prasanna Vithanage's Paradise leaves the audience to read between the lines and draw their own conclusions about the frailty of human nature, and how easily violence seizes the most unexpected prey. "
Accolades
[edit]The film won the Kim Jiseok Award at the Busan International Film Festival. This award is presented to two outstanding films from the Jiseok competition section, which features new works by Asian directors who have directed more than three feature films.
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Busan International Film Festival | 13 October 2023 | Kim Jiseok Award | Prasanna Vithanage | Won | [13] |
| Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema | 13 February 2024 | Golden Cyclo | Nominated | [14] | |
| Prix du Jury Lycéen | Won | ||||
| Asian Film Awards | 10 March 2024 | Best Film | Paradise | Nominated | [15][16] |
| Best Director | Prasanna Vithanage | Nominated | |||
| Best Editing | A. Sreekar Prasad | Nominated | |||
| Best Screenplay | Prasanna Vithanage and Anushka Senanayake | Nominated | |||
| New York Indian Film Festival | June 2024 | Best Director | Prasanna Vithanage | Nominated | [17] |
| Best Actor | Roshan Mathew | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress | Darshana Rajendran | Nominated | |||
| FIPRESCI Grand Prix 2023 | Best Film | Paradise | Nominated | ||
| Indian Film Festival of Melbourne | Best Film Subcontinent | Paradise | Nominated | ||
| Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival | 27 April 2024 | Audience Jury Award | Prasanna Vithanage | Won | [18] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Paradise review: A marriage is put to test in Prasanna Vithanage's tightly controlled drama". Hindustan Times. 7 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Prasanna Vithanage's film wins the Kim Jiseok Award". The Times of India. 14 October 2023. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Dhar, Debanjan (15 November 2023). "Sri Lanka's Prasanna Vithanage Interview: 'When Something Goes Wrong, It's Women Who Are Made to Bear the Brunt'". High On Films. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "'My task is to seek the truth about society as well as myself': Sri Lankan writer-director Prasanna Vithanage". The Indian Express. 29 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Laurine. "Paradise - Festival des Cinémas d'Asie de Vesoul". archives.cinemas-asie.com (in French). Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "'Paradise' parades the globe". Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Sarkar, Vaaswat (11 June 2024). "'Paradise' Is A Film That Tests A Marriage Amidst Sri Lanka's Eco-Political Crisis". Homegrown. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Paradise | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ Marshall2023-10-13T08:53:00+01:00, Lee. "'Paradise': Busan Review". Screen. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "Paradise Review: Beautifully Realised Drama Is Beyond Masterful". NDTV. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Paradise review: A marriage is put to test in Prasanna Vithanage's tightly controlled drama". Hindustan Times. 7 November 2023. Archived from the original on 19 March 2025. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ "Paradise Movie Review: Demons within us & outside portrayed poignantly | Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival 2023". Firstpost. 31 October 2023. Retrieved 18 June 2025.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (14 February 2024). "'Snow Leopard' Wins Top Prize at Vesoul Asian Festival". Variety. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (11 January 2024). "'Evil Does Not Exist', '12.12: The Day' Lead Asian Film Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
- ^ Frater, Patrick (10 March 2024). "'Evil Does Not Exist' Wins Best Picture at Asian Film Awards". Variety. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
- ^ "'Paradise' receives three nominations at New York Indian Film Festival". English.Mathrubhumi. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
- ^ "Malayalam movie 'Paradise' bags Audience Jury Award at Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival". Onmanorama. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
External links
[edit]- Official website
- Paradise at IMDb
- Paradise at BIFF
