World premiere

21 Paradise

Local title
Paradiisi tee 21
Original title
21 Paraíso
Director
Néstor Ruiz Medina
Country
Spain
Year
2022
Programme
Rebels with a Cause Competition
Genre
drama
Subject
interpersonal relationships, individual vs society, social media

Julia and Mateo are a young naturist couple, who live in a modern house made of containers in a completely rural environment. Their daily life is very connected to the field and the sea. In contrast, they have found their way of life by sharing their most intimate moments on OnlyFans, a paid social network.

Director and DOP Nèstor Ruiz Medina (with a long career in short films including a Goya nomination) developed the story and co-wrote the script together with the actors, who committed to the project entirely. They delivered an intimate yet universal story, told in 21 one-take sequences and shot on 16 mm. The film is set in the south of Spain (in the remote villages of Cadiz) and various local people were involved as actors, which adds a greater sense of naturalism to the whole narration.

Despite the seemingly idyllic life the movie presents, various contemporary topics are tackled about the life of a young couple, which surely make us discuss issues beyond the main subject (what is life like inside a couple?). 21 captions, 21 moments of love, longing, freedom and decisions. Besides the performance of two charismatic characters who lead us through this sweet and sour story, and the coherent technical and conceptual filming decisions, “21 Paradise” is an honest love story of two human beings who seem to share their fate but are actually as lost as everyone else.

Javier Garcia Puerto

Director
Néstor Ruiz Medina
Screenwriter
Fernando Barona, María Lázaro, Néstor Ruiz Medina
Cast
María Lázaro, Fernando Barona, Ana Blanco, Alberto Hernández, Ander Segovia
Producer
Enrique F. Guzmán
DoP
Marino Pardo
Editor
Néstor Ruiz Medina
Composer
Marcos Cruz Lloréns
Distributor
Begin Again Films
Runtime
Language
Spanish
Subtitles
English
Director
Néstor Ruiz Medina

Filmograafia 21 Paraíso (2022)

Screenings

4th Lux Hall Apollo Kino Coca-Cola Plaza
Screening130302 / Paradiisi tee 21
SubtitlesEnglish
Q&A guestsNéstor Ruiz Medina (Film Director), Enrique Guzmán (Producer), María Lázaro (Actress)
Q&A duration
Screening duration
Hall 2 Kino Artis
Screening151603 / Paradiisi tee 21
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Hall 1 Kino Artis
Screening171504 / Paradiisi tee 21
SubtitlesEnglish
Screening duration
Trailer
Q&A with the filmmaker