Alexander ABATUROV
Korean Premiere
In the summer 2021, an exceptional heatwave and drought led to giant fires that ravaged 19 million hectares of land in northeastern Siberia. In this region at the heart of the taiga lies the village of Shologon soon to be blanketed by a thick cloud of smoke. Spread by the wind, the black ashes carry alarming news: the forest is on fire and the flames are fast approaching. The government having left them to fend for themselves, the inhabitants must rally to fight The Dragon.
According to Russian Federal Law, the authority
is not responsible for the suppression of fire in the ¡°Control Zone¡± if it
costs more than a certain amount to extinguish uncontrollable fire, such as
forest fire, in wild areas. In 2021 Russia wildfires, a lot of Russian regions
were on fire and over 90% of them are control zones. The Republic of Yakutia is
one of the republics of Russia, and it is located in the Russian northeast
part. Over 80% of Yakutia is a control zone, and there is a remote town named Shologon.
Paradise records the town¡¯s struggles to protect the town
from wildfires. Instead of suppressing the fire, Shologon tries to cage in the
fire until it rains. People of Shologon know that human is part of nature and
that human cannot control and dominate nature. The director shows that forest
fire is also connected to this region as a part of the natural circulation.
This can be seen as slash-and-burn agriculture that keeps soil fertile.
However, the climate change also changed the fire. Now, fire is not part of the
circulation anymore and it has become destructive.
the documentation of certain regions and conveys the tradition of overcoming
the crisis that mankind is facing. The title, Paradise, does not refer to the
perfect place somewhere else. Instead, it is dedicated to the capacity and
wisdom to defend its own area.
Alexander ABATUROV
Mexican-Salvadoran filmmaker Tatiana Huezo gained an international reputation with her feature debut, The Tiniest Place (2011), which screened at more than 80 international festivals. She has given conferences and taught classes in academic spaces like La Escuela de Cine de la Comunidad in Madrid, École cantonale d'art de Lausanne, University of California Santa Barbara, The Green House in Israel as well as the CCC, among others.