Short: “Paraíso” Dir. Nadav Kurtz (USA 2012)


Paraíso Dir. Nadav Kurtz, US, 10min. 2012, color, documentary.
(This short film will be shown with “Evaporating Borders”)


Three immigrant window cleaners risk their lives every day rappelling down some of Chicago’s tallest sky-scrapers. Paraíso reveals the danger of their job and what they see on the way down.  Best Documentary Awards at the Tribeca, Chicago, Seattle, Cine Las Americas, Bilbao, and Melbourne Int’l Film Festival, official selection at the Sundance Film Festival and the Sheffield Int’l Documentary Film Festival. Japan premiere!

This screening is made possible in cooperation with the New American Filmmakers program of the Vilcek Foundation, New York.

Director Bio:

Nadav Kurtz is a filmmaker who has won awards at such festivals as the Tribeca Film Festival, Silverdocs, ZINEBI of Bilbao, the Chicago International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao (ZINEBI), the Chicago International Film Festival, and the Melbourne International Film Festival. As a film editor he worked most recently with Vilmos Zsigmond (cinematography) and Wynton Marsalis (score) on the magical realist jazz biopic Bolden. He has won several commercial awards as well, including an AICP award for Best Sound Design for his work on the PSA commercial Crystal Breaks.

Paraíso Key Awards/Festivals:

2012 Tribeca Film Festival – Best Documentary Short
2012 Chicago International Film Festival – Best Documentary Short
2012 Seattle International Film Festival – Best Documentary Short
2012 ZINEBI of Bilbao – Best Documentary Short
2012 Cine Las Americas – Best Documentary
2012 Melbourne International Film Festival – BBC Knowledge Award for Best Documentary Short Film
2012 AFI-Discovery SilverDocs – Sterling Short Honorable Mention
2013 Sundance Film Festival – Official Selection
2012 True/False Film Festival – Official Selection
2012 Sheffield Doc/Fest – Official Selection

The Cast:
Cruz Guzman
Sergio Polanco
Jaime Polanco

The Crew:
Directed and Produced by Nadav Kurtz
Director of Photograohy: Christopher Markos/Andrew Wehde/Jay Patton/Nadav Kurtz
Composer: Ronen Landa
Editors: Nadav Kurtz/Tony Gannon

For more info, www.paraisofilm.com