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The Siege of Paradise
Sat
24
Sat 24 Oct 2:15 PM
The Piccadilly: Cinema 1
General Admission
Unclassified 15+
82 MinsWith Sanitorium (AFF 2025) documentary filmmaker Gar O’Rourke invited us to observe the guests and staff of a Ukrainian health retreat with strikingly brutalist surrounds as war raged with Russia. His latest documentary observes the impact of mass tourism on local residents as hordes of influencers swarm by boat to the rocky cliffs of tiny Cinque Terre. Where a stunning array of colourful homes cling to crags layered with vineyards that stretch down into the Ligurian Sea in northwestern Italy. You’ll fall in love with beautiful, occasionally begrudging, locals like frazzled mayor Fabrizia, cranky restaurateur Carmelo and affable vintner Bartalo, while rolling your eyes at the selfie stick-bearing masses that flood their cobbled streets without ever truly pausing to take stock. Premiering at Tribeca, where cinematographer Lukas Gut’s dreamy work received a special jury mention, O’Rourke’s snapshot invites us to ponder if the influx of tourism dollars is worth it. Or is it threatening time-honoured traditions?