The young Demir dreams of a wedding. But his Roma tower block is located at the outskirts of a provincial town in Bulgaria, where there is no place for romance. 25 years ago it was a panel socialist heaven: parquet floors to intercom, central heating, hot water, street lamps, benches under murmuring apple trees. Someone called the place Paradise Hotel – and the name stuck. Years later the block gradually changed: the parquet disappeared, water stopped, lights went off. But each of 1 500 inhabitants has a plan how to get back the dream of Paradise Lost. And if you cross the field behind Paradise Hotel where heaven and earth meet, you will see Bozhidar “The God Given” who protects everyone from evil and excessive happiness in a documentary about panel integration, love, misery, a lot of dreams, a little lyrics and one gypsy wedding.
Sophia Tzavella is a TV journalist, scriptwriter and director. She is a lecturer and Master Degree graduate in TV journalism, Greek Philology and Balkan History and Social Sciences (Ionion University, Greece). Having worked as an author for the Bulgarian National Television for 5 years, Sophia Tzavella possesses a unique style and approach, granting her access and inside look at controversial stories about closed communities. She is an original author of numerous investigative TV reports and interviews for independent Bulgarian political and social TV shows “Panorama”. Author of 1 book, and director and author of 3 documentaries, including the Stories About Death. She is a winner of multiple honours and prizes, including the “Golden Umbrella” (TV News and Documentary Sector) at the International TV Festival in Albena, Bulgaria 2006, and Third Prize at the World Contest of Universite Radiophonique et Televisuelle Internationale in Paris, 2001.
