Besom Productions
Paradiso
Director: Alessandro Negrini
Producer: Margo Harkin
Executive Producer: Fergus Keeling for BBC Northern Ireland
Production: Besom Productions Ltd.
Broadcaster: Broadcast on 19 January 2009 at 10.35pm on BBC Northern Ireland and repeated on 16 December 2013 at 10.35pm on BBC Northern Ireland
Billing
Recently commissioned by BBCNI, Paradiso is a musical journey to capture the heyday of the Fountain estate, a disappearing protestant enclave in the heart of Derry. We will follow musician Roy Arbuckle's high risk efforts to stage a major music and dance event in the Memorial Hall by inviting formerly divided communities to celebrate the rock & roll and show band eras with people who desperately need to believe they are welcome in a majority nationalist city under the new vision for Northern Ireland.
Awards
WINNER: Best Documentary, The Slow Film Festival, Eger, Hungary, July 2009
WINNER: Best Documentary, Golbal Cinema Festival, Indore, India, October 2009
WINNER: Audience Award, Wurzburg Film Festival, Fe. Germany, January 2010
AUDIENCE VOTE: Joint Best Film at 'Documentary in Europe' September 2009 conference event (along with Oscar nominated 'Rabbit a la Berlin'
WINNER: Best Documentary, Dhaka International Film Festival, Bangladesh, January 2010
WINNER: Best Documentary, Arcipelago Rome Film Festival, Italy, July 2010
WINNER: Best Documentary, Padoa International River Film Festival, Italy, July 2010
WINNER: Audience Award, Chichester International Film Festival, England, September 2010
WINNER: Best Film in category 'Rapprochment of Cultures' (to mark UN International Year for the Rapprochment of Cultures) We The People Film Festival, London, November 2010
WINNER: Best Film (overall), We The People Film Festival, London, England, November 2010
WINNER: Audience Award, Milan Docucity Film Festival, Italy, May 2011
SPECIAL MENTION: Main Competition, Milan Docucity Film Festival, Italy, May 2011
WINNER: 'Bronze Bear, Audience Award', 39th Festival of Nations, Ebensee, Austria, June 2011
WINNER: Best Documentary, Ischia Film Festival, Naples, Italy, July 2011
WINNER: Best Director, Palermo Sole Luna Film Festival, Sicily, Italy, July 2011
WINNER: Best Documentary, 6th Lola Kenya Screen Film Festival, August 2011
WINNER: The Audience Award & Best International Documentary Award, 8th portel International Film Festival, Vicenza, Italy, February 2012
Domestic viewing copies available on DVD for £17 (inclusive of VAT) plus postage and packing. For Institutional rates and/or other teaching purposes, please contact Margo at margo@besomproductions.co.uk