In a working-class area of Sweden, sisters Laura (16), Mira (12) and Steffi (7), get by on their own, left to their own devices by an absent mother. With summer on the way and no parents around, life is wild and carefree, vivacious and anarchic. But when social services call a meeting, Laura has to find someone to impersonate their mom, or the girls will be taken into foster care and separated. Laura keeps the threat a secret, so as not to worry her younger sisters. But as the moment of truth draws closer, new tensions arise, forcing the three sisters to negotiate the fine line between the euphoria of total freedom and the harsh realities of growing up.

Directed by: Mika Gustafson

Written by: Mika Gustafson, Alexander Öhrstrand

Produced by: Nima Youssefi, Marco Valerio Fusco, Micaela Fusco, Maria Stevnbak Westergren, Venla Hellstedt, Jenni Jauri

Cinematography: Sine Vadstrup Brooker

Editing: Anders Skov

Production Design: Catharina Nyqvist Ehrnrooth

Costume Design: Susse Roos

Make-Up: Kaisa Pätilä

Sound: Lavinia Burcheri, Gustaf Berger

Original Score: Giorgio Giampà

Visual Effects: Antonio Cola, Massimiliano Battista

Casting Director: Elin Ström

Cast: Bianca Delbravo, Dilvin Asaad, Safira Mossberg, Ida Engvoll

Original Title: PARADISET BRINNER

Film Production Country: Sweden

Website: https://www.intramovies.com/production/paradise-is-burning/

Statement of the Director/s
PARADISE IS BURNING is a declaration of love to sisterhood. To those who know your story and made you who you are. A bond that’s stronger than everything else. A blessing and a curse all at the same time. For me the film is about the transience of time and life. About memories and reconciliation. I want to show what it’s like to be a human being in those moments when euphoric freedom lies cheek to cheek with total despair and the everyday humor in between.

Biography of the Director/s
Mika was born in Linköping, Sweden on April 25th, 1988.
In 2016 she graduated from Valand Film Academy. The same year, she received the Nordic Talents prize in Copenhagen.
Her graduation film Mephobia, won Iconoclastic prize at the Torino film festival and Best Actor at Premiere Plans.
Her documentary Silvana was awarded at the National film awards for best documentary in 2017. She was granted her own exhibition at Centre d’Art Contemporain de Genève. She was part of the Dragon Award Jury at Gothenburg International Film Festival (2019) and was selected to Berlinale Script Station in 2020 with her fellow scriptwriter Alexander Öhrstrand. Paradise is Burning is her first fiction feature.

Production Company:
Hobab
Nima Youssefi
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +46704811653
Website: www.hobab.se

World Sales:
Intramovies
Geremia Biagiotti
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +390645777930
Website: www.intramovies.com

Press:
Wolf Consultants
Gordon Spragg
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +4915774749724
Website: www.wolf-con.com