13th T H E S S A L O N IK I IN T E R N A T IO ...

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PARADISE HOTEL
Sophia Tzavella
The young Demir dreams of a wedding. But his Roma tower block on the outskirts of a
provincial town in Bulgaria is no place for romance. Twenty-five years ago it had all it took
to be considered a socialist heaven: from parquet floors to intercom, an exemplary central
hot water system, street lamps, benches where one could sit and listen to the rustling apple
trees. Someone called the place Paradise Hotel – and the name stuck. But as time went
by, the building changed. The parquet disappeared. The water was cut off. The lights
went out. But each of its 1,500 residents has a plan of getting back the dream of Paradise
Lost. And if you cross the field behind the Paradise Hotel, where heaven and earth meet,
you will see Bozhidar “the God Given”, who protects everyone from evil and excessive happiness,
in a documentary about social integration, love, poverty, countless dreams, some
song lyrics and one gypsy wedding.
Running time: 54΄
Year of production: 2010
Production Company: Agitprop Ltd.
Production Contact Person: Martichka Bozhilova
Sales Contact Person: Martichka Bozhilova
68, Budapest str., ap.1
Sofia 1202, Bulgaria
T. +359 888 579 959
F. +359 298 319 29
producer@agitprop.bg
398
151
BULGARIA
1 3 t h T h e s s a l o n i k i D o c u m e n t a r y F e s t i v a l