Paradise is Burning

Fri 27 Sep 7.30pm      Book Now

Sat 28 Sep 7.30pm      Book Now

Duration: 118 mins
AGE Rating: Cert 15
Adults £10

In Swedish with English subtitles

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 their 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 mother, 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.

Awards & Reviews

6 Awards & 10 Nominations

Winner: Orizzonti Award – Best Director, Venice Film Festival 2023

Winner: Best Screenwriting, Authors Under 40 Award, Venice Film Festival 2023

Winner: Sutherland Award, BFI London Film Festival 2023

“Bold, beautiful and beguiling”—★★★★ Uncut

“One of the best Swedish films in recent memory”—★★★★★ Flipscreen

“Superb! The film has huge punch, passion and energy”—★★★★ New Internationalist

“Canny production design and Gustafson’s watchful direction make the drama authentic and affecting, and the movie was a deserving winner of the Best First Feature prize at the 67th London Film Festival”—★★★★ Radio Times

“A joyously melancholic delight”—★★★★ Evening Star“