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El paraiso

El paraiso

Dir. Enrico Maria Artale
106 min

16th Italian Film Festival of Minneapolis / St. Paul Presented by The Italian Cultural Center of Minneapolis/St. Paul

Sunday, March 2 at 4:30pm

MIDWEST PREMIERE

Q&A with Director Enrico Maria Artale, Connecting Live from Italy

ABOUT THE FILM  (All films are presented in Italian with English subtitles)

Taking place in desolated, dilapidated, seaside outskirts of Rome, “El Paraiso” tells the story of a complicated, emotionally charged mother-son relationship set against the backdrop of Italy’s Colombian diaspora and drug-trafficking industry.

Julio-Cesar, a driftless 40-year-old man lives with his mother, a dynamic and complex Colombian woman who was pregnant with him when she entered Italy working as a drug mule. Their lives are completely and at times uncomfortably intertwined as they navigate survival on the fringes, working together in the shadow world of the criminal drug trade. With the arrival of a young, beautiful woman carrying drugs from Columbia, the balance of their insular world is interrupted and a chain of intense events is set into motion. Julio Cesar must search within as he grapples with his relationship with his mother, his own identity as an independent man, and his fractured relationship to a homeland he’s never seen. Featuring incredible performances, rare views into immigrant community life, and a deeply honest yet compassionate explanation of the relationship between mother and son, “El Paraiso” is a harsh, moving, poetic thought-provoking film that is not to be missed.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Enrico Maria Artale studied Philosophy at La Sapienza University in Rome and Film Aesthetics and Directing at the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia. He started his career writing and directing several international award-winning shorts. His first feature film, “Il terzo tempo”, premiered at the 2013 Venice International Film Festival’s Orizzonti section and was awarded the Pasinetti prize for Best First Film by the SNGCI (Italian National Union of Cinema Journalists). His autobiographical documentary “Saro” earned the prize for Best Documentary at the 2016 Turin Film Festival. “El Paraiso” has earned widespread critical acclaim as well as a number of prestigious awards, including Best Screenplay and Best Actress for Margarita Rosa De Francisco’s astounding performance at the 2023 Venice International Film Festival’s Orizzonti section. Artale’s work has been presented and recognized worldwide, and he continues to create new works in film and television.

TICKET INFO

Single Movies
$14.00 General Admission (+ $2.00 online fee)
$12.00 ICC and Film Society Members
$5.00 Students (Box Office Only)

Passes:
All-Access Festival Pass (Opening Night included):
$110.00 General Admission (+ $3.25 online fee)
$95.00 ICC and Film Society Members, Students
6-Packs Passes (does not include Opening Night):
$65.00 General Admission (+ $2.00 online fee)
$55.00 ICC and Film Society Members, Students

Passes do not guarantee admission to screenings. To ensure admittance, passholders must reserve a ticket in advance either online or at the venue.

Film Details

Program: Italian Film Festival
Release Year: 2023
Runtime: 106 min
Country/Region: Italy, Colombia
Language: Italian, Spanish
Print Source: Bendita Film
Tags: Drama

Cast/Crew

Director: Enrico Maria Artale
Producer: Matteo Rovere, Andrea Paris, Carla Altieri, Roberto De Paolis
Cinematographer: Francesco Di Giacomo
Screenwriter: Enrico Maria Artale
Editor: Valeria Sapienza
Composer: Emanuele De Raymondi
Principal Cast: Edoardo Pesce, Margarita Rosa de Francisco, Maria del Rosario, Gabriel Montesi

Showtimes

The Main 3

Sunday, March 2nd