The film was watched 8.1 million times in its first week on Netflix, making it the network’s most popular non-English-language show. Much of it was filmed in Lithuania.
A sci-fi love story set in a dystopian future, Paradise is one of the biggest projects shot in Lithuania in recent years.
The German production depicts a society where the slogan “time is money” takes on a very literal meaning. Genetic engineering has been perfected to the point where people can purchase youth from one another. A huge company is making profits from the trade, while a young couple desperately try to reclaim the 40 years of their lives they have lost.
Led by the director Boris Kunz, a team of more than 400 professionals, most of them Lithuanians, worked on this film in Lithuania. The shooting lasted more than 40 days.
Round tower blocks, futuristic buildings and the familiar city silhouettes, streets and neighbourhoods all take on a somewhat gloomy shine. The film will also feature Lithuanian extras and recognisable settings in Vilnius, Klaipėda, and Palanga.
“In recent years, we have been used to working on Scandinavian noir series, but the German creators have brought a completely different approach,” says producer Monika Sakalauskaitė in an interview to the Vilnius Film Office. “Everything was done to make the settings more beautiful and impressive, according to the needs of the script.”
German line producer Stephan Barth, who is already familiar with filming in Lithuania, was delighted to be working in Vilnius: “It’s good to work in Vilnius again. It has always been a production-friendly city and you can always trust that the process will run smoothly here,” he told Film New Europe.
From Žvėrynas to Fabijoniškės
According to the Vilnius Film Office, Paradise showcases many familiar settings in Vilnius: street intersections populated with electric cars, the Keistuolių Teatras, Vingio Park, Gedimino Avenue and other places around town.
Additionally, one of the settings is the former Government Guest House in the district of Žvėrynas. The luxurious villa once hosted Soviet and Western politicians. In Paradise, it serves as a refuge to one of the main characters.
The Antakalnis Cemetery plays an equally important role in the film. In the cemetery, which is divided into blocks, the hero of Paradise commits a kidnapping in an attempt to save his wife. A prop monument was installed especially for the film.
Several panoramic scenes show the Fabijoniškės district and its jungle of high-rise concrete buildings, playgrounds, yards and streets. Location managers in Vilnius note that many filmmakers have learned to appreciate the area’s cinematic appeal.
Five years ago, Fabijoniškės was a setting for the HBO hit miniseries Chernobyl. More recently the Swedish noir series Young Valander transformed the district into Malmö.
Paradise was written by Simon Amberger, Peter Kocyla and Boris Kunz. The show was produced in Lithuania by Monika Sakalauskaitė and the filming was organised by the film production company Ahil.
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