[Videonews] New Release: PROMISED PARADISE - the psychology of extremism

Ryan Krivoshey (rkrivoshey@cinemaguild.com)
Tue, 6 Nov 2007 12:03:12 -0500

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The Cinema Guild is pleased to announce the release of PROMISED PARADISE, a
provocative documentary that caused an international uproar earlier this
year when it was banned by the Indonesian government.

PROMISED PARADISE

A film by Leonard Retel Helmrich

How can one believe that terrorism leads to heaven? This provocative
documentary examines the psychology of extremism in a country with the
largest Muslim population in the world.

Promised Paradise, a new film from renowned documentary filmmaker Leonard
Retel Helmrich, made international news earlier this year when Indonesian
authorities suddenly banned it from screening at the Jakarta International
Film Festival. The film follows a traditional Indonesian puppeteer and
troubadour, the dynamic Agus Nur Amal, as he attempts to track down the
terrorists who masterminded the 2002 Bali bombings (both living and dead).

During the course of his journey, he exposes the atmosphere of intolerance
and confusion that pervades his country. At a puppet show for children,
staged inside a cardboard television set, he re-enacts the September 11
attacks using a gyrating Osama Bin Laden doll. The children roar in
laughter, until the play begins to show images of new bomb attacks in
Indonesia - first on the Australian Embassy in September 2004, and later in
Bali in October 2005. "Everything you see on your television is a lie: in
this cardboard television the people are made of flesh and blood," he tells
his young audience.

In a chilling sequence, using ingenious editing, Agus confronts the
notorious extremist leader behind the 2002 bombings in his prison cell.
Freely quoting from the Koran, and referencing American foreign policy, he
openly discusses his motives for the attack. To reach the remaining bombers,
Agus attends the show of a local clairvoyant who claims to communicate with
the dead. He asks him where the perpetrators of the suicide attack are now.
The psychic's refusal to answer before an audience is telling - so Agus
requests a private session.

Using performance to inspire critical reflection, Promised Paradise delivers
fascinating and revealing insight into the social and religious
undercurrents dominating Indonesian society today and the Muslim world at
large.

Directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich

2007, 52 minutes

Purchase: $325 Rental: $85

* Official Selection, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, 2007

* Official Selection, Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, 2007

* Winner, Best Documentary, International Film Festival, Zanzibar, 2007

* Official Selection, Documenta Madrid, 2007

* Official Selection, Visions du Reel Film Festival, 2007

For more information on Promised Paradise:

http://cinemaguild.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD
<http://cinemaguild.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=TCGS&Product
_Code=2273> &Store_Code=TCGS&Product_Code=2273

PLEASE NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS:

Ryan Krivoshey

The Cinema Guild

115 West 30th Street, Ste. 800

New York, NY 10001

Tel: (212) 685-6242

Fax: (212) 685-4717

Web: www.cinemaguild.com

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The Cinema
Guild is pleased to announce the release of PROMISED PARADISE, a =
provocative
documentary that caused an international uproar earlier this year when =
it was
banned by the Indonesian government.<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

PROMISED
PARADISE<o:p></o:p>

A
film by Leonard Retel Helmrich<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

How can one
believe that terrorism leads to heaven? This provocative documentary =
examines
the psychology of extremism in a country with the largest Muslim =
population in
the world. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

Promised
Paradise, =
a new
film from renowned documentary filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich, made
international news earlier this year when Indonesian authorities =
suddenly
banned it from screening at the Jakarta International Film Festival. The =
film
follows a traditional Indonesian puppeteer and troubadour, the dynamic =
Agus Nur
Amal, as he attempts to track down the terrorists who masterminded the =
2002
Bali bombings (both living and dead). <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

During the
course of his journey, he exposes the atmosphere of intolerance and =
confusion
that pervades his country. At a puppet show for children, staged inside =
a
cardboard television set, he re-enacts the September 11 attacks using a
gyrating Osama Bin Laden doll. The children roar in laughter, until the =
play
begins to show images of new bomb attacks in Indonesia – first on =
the
Australian Embassy in September 2004, and later in Bali in October 2005.
“Everything you see on your television is a lie: in this cardboard
television the people are made of flesh and blood,” he tells his =
young
audience. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

In a
chilling sequence, using ingenious editing, Agus confronts the notorious
extremist leader behind the 2002 bombings in his prison cell. Freely =
quoting
from the Koran, and referencing American foreign policy, he openly =
discusses his
motives for the attack. To reach the remaining bombers, Agus attends the =
show
of a local clairvoyant who claims to communicate with the dead. He asks =
him
where the perpetrators of the suicide attack are now. The =
psychic’s
refusal to answer before an audience is telling - so Agus requests a =
private
session. <o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

Using
performance to inspire critical reflection, Promised Paradise =
delivers
fascinating and revealing insight into the social and religious =
undercurrents
dominating Indonesian society today and the Muslim world at large. =
<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

Directed
by Leonard Retel Helmrich<o:p></o:p>

2007, 52
minutes<o:p></o:p>

Purchase:
$325 Rental: $85<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>=

* Official
Selection, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, =
2007<o:p></o:p>

* Official
Selection, Amsterdam Documentary Film Festival, =
2007<o:p></o:p>

* Winner,
Best Documentary, International Film Festival, Zanzibar, =
2007<o:p></o:p>

* Official
Selection, Documenta Madrid, 2007<o:p></o:p>

* Official
Selection, Visions du Reel Film Festival, 2007<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

For more information on Promised =
Paradise:<o:p></o:p>

<a
href=3D"http://cinemaguild.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=3DPROD&Store_C=
ode=3DTCGS&Product_Code=3D2273">http://cinemaguild.com/mm5/merchant.m=
vc?Screen=3DPROD&Store_Code=3DTCGS&Product_Code=3D2273</a><o:p></=
o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

PLEASE =
NOTE OUR
NEW ADDRESS:<o:p></o:p>

<ns0:PersonName>Ryan
Krivoshey</ns0:PersonName> <o:p></o:p>

The Cinema Guild =
<o:p></o:p>

<ns0:Street><ns0:address>115
West 30th Street, Ste. =
800</ns0:address></ns0:Street><o:p></o:p>

<ns0:place><ns0:City>New York</ns0:City>,
<ns0:State>NY</ns0:State> =
<ns0:PostalCode>10001</ns0:PostalCode></ns0:place><o:p></o:p>

Tel: (212) =
685-6242 <o:p></o:p>

Fax: (212) =
685-4717 <o:p></o:p>

Web: =
www.cinemaguild.com<o:p></o:p>

<o:p> </o:p>

</div>

</body>

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