Shangri-La, Paradise under Construction
Documentary
Directors: Mirka Duijn & Nina Spiering
World premiere at IDFA, International Film Festival in Amsterdam, 2022, in competition for Best Dutch Documentary.
A travelogue through Shangri-La; the fictitious paradise from the classic novel Lost Horizon (1933). Twenty years ago a Tibetan tourist spot in China presented scientific proof that it was the real Shangri-La. In her search for the truth behind the supposed evidence the filmmaker excavates layers of fact and fiction of the area. What words and images have attached themselves to facts? How do stories come into being and how do they shape reality?
Read Modern Times Review about the film:
“In their film Shangri-La, Paradise under Construction, directors Mirka Duijn and Nina Spiering reconsidered the most basic premises of documentary filmmaking – truth, evidence, and interpretation.”
“Even if the fantastic nature of Shangri-La might indicate that this documentary will be about fantasy, it is not. The key theme of Shangri-La, Paradise Under Construction, is the reality and the mysterious ways of its construction.”
A travelogue through Shangri-La; the fictitious paradise from the classic novel Lost Horizon (1933). Twenty years ago a Tibetan tourist spot in China presented scientific proof that it was the real Shangri-La. In her search for the truth behind the supposed evidence the filmmaker excavates layers of fact and fiction of the area. What words and images have attached themselves to facts? How do stories come into being and how do they shape reality?
Read the IDA-review:
“A film that richly explores the creation of meaning from different perspectives that infuse the project of “paradise under construction,” and leaves viewers with hard questions to ask themselves about exoticization and power.”
“A film that richly explores the creation of meaning from different perspectives that infuse the project of “paradise under construction,” and leaves viewers with hard questions to ask themselves about exoticization and power.”
Read Modern Times Review about the film:
“In their film Shangri-La, Paradise under Construction, directors Mirka Duijn and Nina Spiering reconsidered the most basic premises of documentary filmmaking – truth, evidence, and interpretation.”
“Even if the fantastic nature of Shangri-La might indicate that this documentary will be about fantasy, it is not. The key theme of Shangri-La, Paradise Under Construction, is the reality and the mysterious ways of its construction.”
International Sales:
Journeyman Pictures
Produced by:
De Productie (NL),
Film Kreatörerna (SE),
Studio Kimmo (NL)
Funded by
Dutch Film Fund,
Amsterdam Fund for the Arts
Swedish Film Fund.
Watch the teaser.
Listen to an interview with Mirka Duijn on Opium Radio (in Dutch)
Reviews in Dutch Newspapers:
NRC Newspaper ︎︎︎︎
Volkskrant ︎︎︎
Fries Dagblad ︎︎︎︎
Telegraaf︎︎︎︎
Parool
Trouw
Filmkrant
Interview in the Dutch Film Newspaper: Filmkrant
Journeyman Pictures
Produced by:
De Productie (NL),
Film Kreatörerna (SE),
Studio Kimmo (NL)
Funded by
Dutch Film Fund,
Amsterdam Fund for the Arts
Swedish Film Fund.
Watch the teaser.
Listen to an interview with Mirka Duijn on Opium Radio (in Dutch)
Reviews in Dutch Newspapers:
NRC Newspaper ︎︎︎︎
Volkskrant ︎︎︎
Fries Dagblad ︎︎︎︎
Telegraaf︎︎︎︎
Parool
Trouw
Filmkrant
Interview in the Dutch Film Newspaper: Filmkrant
