04/11/2022 - Néstor Ruíz Medina's debut film, which explores the real intimacy behind erotic social media sites, will have its world premiere in the New Waves section

21 moments that shatter the paradise of a couple dedicated to amateur porn. This is the structure of 21 Paraíso [+see also:
trailer
film profile], the first film directed by Néstor Ruíz Medina to be presented in the New Waves section of the 19th Seville Film Festival, to be held in the Andalusian city from 4 to 12 November. Ruiz Medina is a filmmaker and cinematographer, whose work includes Baraka, nominated for the Goya Award for Best Fiction Short Film 2016.

His feature debut tells the story of Julia (played by María Lázaro) and Mateo (Fernando Barona), a couple living in a modern house in a rural setting. Their daily life is deeply rooted in the land and the sea. However, they have found their source of income by sharing their intimate lives on OnlyFans. Despite leading a seemingly idyllic existence, something within has changed. Their realities begin to drift further and further apart.

According to the director, "the script is only ten pages long and the film has been brought to life through creation and improvisation. From the very first moment we knew what kind of film we wanted to make and although it seems like filming without a script is difficult, for us it has been kind of liberating. We knew the characters and the story we wanted to tell; we had been working on it for months. On set, all you had to do was let it flow and listen".

"On the other hand," continues the filmmaker, "we filmed long takes, surrounded by non-professional actors and on celluloid because I wanted every single moment to be unique and unrepeatable in order to capture the reality of the world we had created. Today porn has changed radically, and anyone can do it. As a filmmaker, I'm interested in the people behind an account where you sell your intimacies and in investigating what lies beyond facades like a social media site. I also see the need to consider how sex is viewed in our society: it is still a taboo subject that makes many nervous, and we are more used to seeing death in the cinema than masturbation.”

After its screening in Seville, the film (produced by Mono con Pistolas Films, Cinnamon Factory and American Road Films) will compete in the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, in the Rebels with a Cause section, and will then be released in Spanish cinemas next year, distributed by Begin Again Films.

Here is the exclusive poster:

(Translated from Spanish by Vicky York)