With a week of summer-like sunshine in April, the filming of Paradisco finished on a rainy Friday. A paradox for this short musical film, resolutely optimistic and lit with disco lights.

FLASH-BACK

One evening in the Nineties, at a party. Young director, St�phane Ly-Cuong, meets composer, Patrick Laviosa. This meeting proves to be an artistic thunderbolt! Both men dream of uniting music and song into one film.

1996

St�phane writes the first scenario of Paradisco, within the setting of a contest - "L'amour est � r�inventer".
The project wasn�t retained, so St�phane decided to adapt the film into a musical.

1999

St�phane directed his first short musical film, La Jeune Fille et La Tortue. Patrick composed the original music for it. This film is extremely successful in many Festivals, is broadcast on FR3 and also screens before - "In the Mood for Love". Patrick writes the title song especially for Paradisco. This second collaboration enables the two men to expand their dream of music being a dramatic and narrative element.

2002

The success of " La Jeune Fille et La Tortue " made it possible for St�phane to entice producers, actors and stage stars. Anthony Rapp, renowned singer and actor on Broadway, travelled between the United States and France, to take part in Paradisco.

�Paradisco� is the story of 40 year-old, Fran�ois and 20 year-old, Nicolas who spend the night together. Fran�ois speaks to his young lover about when he was in his twenties. As if by magic, the two men find themselves in the middle of the 1979-1980 New Years Eve celebrations. Fran�ois remembers the unconcerns of the Seventies back then, the years of AIDS and decimation, and of his friends lost to the virus.

The film uses flash-back, in a musical and festive way, to rouse some serious topics like memories and mourning. More than just a meeting between generations, this film shows at which point the meeting and the discovery of one another, brings about a new respect for each other.

Hormoz Borbor
E-M@le
17/05/2002