Mani Ratnam presented the international film "Paradise" by filmmaker Prasanna Vithango, winner of the 'Kim Jiseok Award' for Best Film at the Busan International Film Festival 2023, which will have its South Asian premiere at the 'Jio Mami festival

After winning the Kim Jiseok Award for Best Film at the Busan International Film Festival 2023, filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage's international film "Paradise" is going to have its South Asia premiere at Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. The festival will run from 27 October to 5 November 2023. Like Prasanna's previous film 'Gaadi' (Children of the Sun), 'Paradise' first premiered at the Busan International Film Festival.

Produced by Anto Chittilapilli's banner Newton Cinema and presented by Mani Ratnam's Madras Talkies, Paradise stars Roshan Mathew, Darshan Rajendran, Shyam Fernando, and Mahendra Perera in lead roles. Its cameraman is Rajiv Ravi, the editor is Shrikar Prasad, and the sound designer is Tapas Nayak. Written by Prasanna Vithanage and Anushka Senanayake, Paradise is a multilingual (Malayalam, English, Sinhala) feature film.

Shot in Sri Lanka, 'Paradise' chronicles a tourist couple's vacation, exploring their struggles with social, personal, and internal challenges. Through her experiences, she reveals an objective truth about human nature.

The Kim Jiseok Award, established in 2017, commemorates the late Kim Jiseok, who dedicated his life to exploring and supporting the development of Asian cinema. The award is given to the two best films that reflect the contemporary state of Asian cinema in line with the intentions of the late Kim.

On receiving the Kim Jiseok Award, Prasanna Vithanage says, “It is ironic to receive this award in the name of the late Kim Jiseok today, after 28 years. Kim was a dear friend of all Asian filmmakers. Kim, I am honored to have you home. I would like to thank you, my dear producers, Anto Chittilapilli and Newton Cinema, our presenter Mani Ratnam, Madras Talkies, and the cast and crew of Paradise, this award is yours.”

 Mani Ratnam, owner and director of 'Madras Talkies', said, "When there is turmoil in heaven, both socially and economically, when there is a re-evaluation of man-woman relations, and when an old epic is reflected in today's troubled times, Then we have ‘Paradise’, a visionary film.”

Anto Chittilapilli, CEO of Newton Cinema, said – “Our world premiere in Busan resulted in winning the Kim Jiseok Award for Best Film. Everyone at Newton Cinema is on cloud nine and we believe this win will take the film to audiences across the world. We are confident that audiences everywhere will enjoy the film as much as our sold-out audience in Busan did,” commented.

Filmmaker Prasanna Vithanage needs no introduction. Winner of over 35 international and national awards, Prasanna Vithanage is considered one of South Asia's most talented and influential filmmakers. He is known for his thought-provoking films that deal with social, political, and cultural issues. Vithanage has the unique distinction of being the only filmmaker to win the NEETACH Best Filmmaker Award five times. Apart from his achievements in cinema, he has been actively involved in human rights and peace initiatives.

-Shantiswarup Tripathi