Canadian Film “Arthur’s Paradise / Le Paradis d’Arthur” wins Accolades & Award at Rhode Island International Film Festival

Providence, Rhode Island, USA — The Canadian film Arthur’s Paradise / Le Paradis d’Arthur by filmmaker Luc Beauchamp received 2nd place in the hotly contested category “Best Experimental” at the 11th Annual Rhode Island International Film Festival which screened over 320 films this year from around the world.

The film was labeled by festival workers as a “surprising success” as it attracted a good crowd despite screening on a mid-day afternoon and in a time slot opposite films with star recognition.

“We knew something was up when we saw some moviegoers bringing in their own chairs,” said Columbus Theater owner Jon Berberian. “These people were determined to get a seat to see the film that had successfully transcended all language barriers by using the universal tongue of music. There was unusually keen interest in this one-time public screening.”

Filmmaker Luc Beauchamp and his Associate Producer Denis McCready appeared at the screening to introduce the film. They also did a number of interviews with local and regional news media promoting their film, their homeland and the financial support the local industry receives from public organizations like SODEC, Telefilm Canada and the National Film Board of Canada (NFB).

The 50 minute film starts as a visual documentary of a farmer’s routine life on a pig farm in Quebec, completely in harmony with the music he plays of opera singer Victoria Rossellini on an old 33 record piped into the barn. Then the record disappears and everything changes into a surrealistic fantasy as the pigs go on a hunger strike, chickens cluck out catastrophic warnings and the farmer frantically tries to restore harmony by playing other music including opera, a disco celebrity, and even an entire mariachi band that chases him around the barn. Order is finally restored to the farm by a visitation from the Virgin Mary . . . and the return of the record.

Arthur’s Paradise / Le Paradis d’Arthur directed, produced and financed by award winning producer Luc Beauchamp, the film was made with the technical support of the National Film Board of Canada (also known as the Office national du film du Canada), which supports audiovisual works that provide Canada and the world with a unique Canadian perspective. It is independently distributed by Netima in Canada.

Dans le dossier

 Festivals / Marchés / Événements > Festivals/événements internationaux
 Cinéma québécois > Documentaires
 Films québécois > Le Paradis d’Arthur