Friday, June 12
3:00 PM - 4:30 PM

Regal Gallery Place

701 7th St NW, Washington, DC 20001

for all screenings

The Siege of Paradise

Film Languages

Italian, English

Director

Gar O'Rourke

Executive Producers

Greg Martin, Zak Brilliant

Producers

Andrew Freedman, Ken Wardrop, Jessie Hayden

Editor

John Murphy

Cinematographer

Lukas Gut

Writer

Gar O'Rourke

Contact

MetFilm Studio ella@metfilmstudio.com

In Cinque Terre, fewer than 3,000 locals share their cliffside villages with nearly four million tourists each year. THE SIEGE OF PARADISE unfolds over a single summer on one of the most photographed coastlines in the world, tracing six lives at the peak of the season: Fabrizia, the young mayor torn between her community and the economy that sustains it; Bartolo, an aging winegrower tending both his vines and his seriously ill wife; Guido, a fisherman betting on integrity over easy money; Carmelo, a weary restaurateur running on fumes; Giorgia, his young daughter, weighing the pull of the family business against a life of her own beyond these villages; and Grace and Isabel, two influencers from Chicago on a quest for content while quietly asking what they’re searching for themselves.

Director, The Siege of Paradise

Gar O’Rourke is an award-winning Irish director whose work spans documentaries, branded films, commercials, and art films. His debut feature documentary, SANATORIUM (2025), premiered at CPH:DOX in the DOX:AWARD international competition and, following an award-winning international festival run, was selected as Ireland’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2026 Academy Awards, while also being longlisted for Best Documentary Feature. THE SIEGE OF PARADISE is his second feature documentary. Gar also directs branded projects for clients including Netflix, Canon, Heineken, Patagonia, Anthropic, and Visa Inc..