Paradise Now (2005)

Popularity:

Down 43% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.

Director:

Hany Abu-Assad

Writers:

Hany Abu-Assad
Pierre Hodgson
(more)

Release Date:

29 September 2005 (Germany)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Thriller | War

Tagline:

In the next 36 hours, two childhood friends may do the unthinkable.

Plot:

Two childhood friends are recruited for a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv.

Plot Keywords:

Settler | Friend | Betrayal | Fate | Occupation

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 14 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Lubna Azabal	...	Suha
Hamza Abu-Aiaash	...	Checkpoint Soldier
Kais Nashif	...	Said
Lutuf Nouasser	...	Car Owner (as Lotuf Neusser)
Ali Suliman	...	Khaled
Mohammad Bustami	...	Abu-Salim
Ahmad Fares	...	Tea Boy
Waleed On-Allah	...	Taxidriver Suha
Asaad Dwikat	...	Shawarma Shop Owner
Imad Saber	...	Shawarma Customer
Mohammad Kosa	...	Photographer
Amer Hlehel	...	Jamal
Hiam Abbass	...	Said's Mother
Nour Abd El-Hadi	...	Said's Sister
Amjad Al-Imlah	...	Said's Brother
Dina Titi	...	Khaled's Sister
Yosef Abo Dheir	...	Khaled's Father
Sadi El-Masri	...	Khaled's Attendant
Hana Sha'alan	...	Khaled's Mother
Nabeel Shaheen	...	Video Camera Man
Ayman Swedan	...	Barber
Jamal Shaheen	...	Explosive Maker
Hafez Mueen	...	Explosive Attacher
Jamil Sawalmeh	...	Guard 1
Deya Deen Hamaideh	...	Guard 2
Thabet Abu-Zarour	...	Guard 3
Ashraf Barhom	...	Abu-Karem (as Ashraf Barhoum)
Bassam Al-Nubani	...	Fighter 1
Mohammad Kaskas	...	Fighter 2
Nabeeh Jum'a	...	Fighter 3
Mohammad Arabbas	...	Fighter 4
Saed Mayaleh	...	Fighter 5
Dirar Suleiman	...	Taxidriver Said (as Derar Suliman)
Mohammad Jibreel	...	Van Driver
Wagde Ode	...	Jamal's Assistant
Tha'er Abu-Zarour	...	Shawarma Customer
Olivier Meidinger	...	Abu-Shabaab
Salwa Ibrahim	...	Khaled's Mother
Abd Elrahman Thaher	...	Mechanic
Jamel Daher	...	Car Owner (voice) (as Jamal Daher)

Directed by
Hany Abu-Assad

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Hany Abu-Assad
Bero Beyer
Pierre Hodgson

Produced by
Bero Beyer	....	producer
Muhammed Buqai	....	associate producer
Rémi Burah	....	co-producer
Amir Harel	....	producer
Peter Hermann	....	line producer
Gerhard Meixner	....	producer
Koji Nelissen	....	assistant producer
Hengameh Panahi	....	producer
Roman Paul	....	producer
Jeroen van den Idsert	....	co-producer
Rozemarijn Vermeulen	....	assistant producer
Yani	....	co-producer

Original Music by
Jina Sumedi

Cinematography by
Antoine Héberlé

Film Editing by
Sander Vos

Production Design by
Olivier Meidinger

Art Direction by
Bashir Abu Rabi'a

Set Decoration by
Samir Hawa		(2005)

Costume Design by
Walid Mawed

Production Management
Baher Agbariya	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Sabina Franke	....	first assistant director
Enas I. Muthaffar	....	second assistant director

Sound Department
Adrian Baumeister	....	dialogue editor
Noemi Hampel	....	sound editor
Uwe Haussig	....	sound
Matthias Lempert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Carsten Richter	....	foley artist
Marcus Sujata	....	adr mixer
Marcus Sujata	....	foley mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Ehab Assal	....	assistant camera
Ehab Assal	....	focus puller
Miki Berdougo	....	electrician
Yana Mitnic	....	electrician (as Yana Mitnik)
Georg Nonnenmacher	....	gaffer
François Perrault-Alix	....	key grip
Laurie Sparham	....	still photographer

Editorial Department
Michael Reuter	....	post-production coordinator
Philip Whitfield	....	telecine colorist

Other crew
Ossama Bawardi	....	production crew
Bob Buchholz	....	english language director
Feras Jabbour	....	production crew
Koji Nelissen	....	production intern
Nadia Saah	....	publicity and marketing consultant

Thanks
Christopher McQuarrie	....	thanks
Ed Solomon	....	thanks
Alesia Weston	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• Augustus Film
• Lama Productions
• Razor Film Produktion GmbH
• Lumen Films
• Arte France Cinéma
• Eurimages
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Hazazah Pictures
• Lama Films
• Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg
• Nederlands Fonds voor de Film

Distributors

• 1More Film (2005) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Alfa Films (2006) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Cathay-Keris Films (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Constantin Film (2005) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Filmhouse (2006) (Mexico) (theatrical)
• Frenetic Films (2005) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Haut et Court (2005) (France) (theatrical)
• Warner Bros. (200?) (UK) (theatrical)
• Warner Independent Pictures (WIP) (2005) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Canvas (2008) (Belgium) (TV)
• Europa Filmes (2006) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Four Films (2006) (Chile) (all media)
• Giangiacomo Feltrinelli Editore (2006) (Italy) (DVD)
• Highlight Film (2006) (Germany) (DVD)
• Medyavizyon (2005) (Turkey) (all media)
• Nederlandse Programma Stichting (NPS) (2010) (Netherlands) (TV)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Transeuropa Video Entertainment (TVE) (2006) (Argentina) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Holland Equipment  camera equipment provided by
• KO Creative  poster design
• KO Creative  trailer
• Technicolor  prints
• World Cinema Fund  funding

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for mature thematic material and brief strong language

Runtime:

90 min

Country:

Occupied Palestinian Territory | France | Germany | Netherlands | Israel

Language:

Arabic | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS | DTS

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:14 | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Finland:S | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | Hungary:16 | Iceland:12 | Iceland:16 | Ireland:12A | Malaysia:(Banned) | Netherlands:MG6 | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:M18 | South Korea:12 | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Zurich) | UK:15 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Nablus, Palestine

Company:

Augustus Film

Trivia:

When the film was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, much controversy surrounded the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' decision to designate it as a submission from the Palestinian Authority, rather than Palestine. Due to much protestation from writer-director Hany Abu-Assad, the film was eventually announced by Will Smith as being a submission from the Palestinian territories.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Khaled makes his speech for the second time, two of the people watching him are eating pitta. The man with the purple T-shirt is holding the pitta with his right hand in one shot, with his left in the next.

Quotes:

Jamal:What can you do when there is no justice or freedom? Then there's the individual that is forced to fight for it. If we give in to the law that says, the strong devour the weak, then we become the animals. That's intolerable. Death is better than inferiority. That means whoever fights for freedom, can also die for it.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 63rd Annual Golden Globe Awards (2006) (TV)

Brilliant movie

This film was so interesting. I am not a big fan of subtitles usually, but there was many points when the movie was so captivating that I forgot they were there.

I was shown from a terribly unique viewpoint in compared to any other movie I have seen on the topic. It approached a very difficult subject with brazen honesty and straight forwardness.

I really loved it. The director was brilliant. The use of certain symbolism and the comparison to the last supper was amazing I thought. I loved how it took something from a different religion and how their beliefs while so different in so many ways comes to a basic belief.

The camera work and the portrayal of so much at times where there were no words was awesome.

This movie is definitely worth it. Even if only to gain a viewpoint that is different from your own. I think that you will come away with a lot more then that.