Stranger in Paradise
SECTION: International Forum 2017
SCREENINGS
Thursday, 28.09., 5.30 p.m., Festsaal
Friday, 29.09., 8.15 p.m., kinoeins, Q&A with Guido Hendrikx
SYNOPSIS
If Lars Von Trier were to make a documentary about the current immigration crisis in Europe, it might very well turn out like STRANGER IN PARADISE the debut feature by Dutch director Guido Hendrikx.
STRANGER IN PARADISE is a lot but it’s not a documentary film about the current “migration crisis”. Guido Hendrikx does not focus on migrants and refugees but on Europeans – on “Fortress Europe” and the different opinions about the “wave of refugees” that abound. These are unmasked in a daring experiment. Hendrikx and the actor Valentijn Dhaenens invite newly-arrived “real” refugees to an awareness-raising event at a migrant center in Italy. In one of these experimental encounters, Dhaenes’ character embodies well-thinking liberalism. In another role, he coldly puts forth an anti-immigration argument. Thus the film explores various public debates, political climates and immigration practices. This is a memorable depiction of the environment that people arriving in Europe face. What is also clear is that the refugees’ dreams and hopes are very different from the reality that awaits them as “Strangers in Paradise”.
GUIDO HENDRIKX
Guido Hendrikx, born in 1987, is a Dutch documentary filmmaker and freelance journalist. He studied at the University of Utrecht. In 2010 he presented his film debut Day Is Done at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam and he began his studies in documentary film directing at the Netherlands Film Academy – AHK.
FILMOGRAPHY
Day Is Done (2010), Escort (2013), Studyfactory (2013), Among Us (2014), Stranger in Paradise (2016)
WEBSITE
http://www.zeppers.nl/nl/filmnl/stranger-paradise
