Screening Date: May 14, 2026, Thursday, 20:00

Director: Yulia Lokshina
Screenplay: Yulia Lokshina

Germany / 2026 / 121 min. / Color / DCP / English, German, Spanish, Paraguayan Guaraní / Turkish & English subtitles

We are in Caazapá, one of the poorest regions of Paraguay. Fenced enclosures protect the living spaces of a gated community from the outside. A group of Europeans who once rejected the systems of their home countries have now settled here, seeking salvation, freedom, and healing as they escape what they perceive as the end of the world.

Meanwhile, two young Paraguayan students are also looking for work within the same settlement. Caazapá, described as a “city of magic and legends,” promises them happiness, gold, and a mythical bird. In this documentary, every individual we encounter is in pursuit of their own vision of paradise.

“For more than 400 years, Paraguay and the Guaraní region have been shaped by waves of migration from Europe and the missions and visions they brought with them. Land is cheap, and immigration laws are flexible. Many of these settlements still exist today and continue to influence Paraguay’s social, cultural, and political structures,” says director Yulia Lokshina. Her documentary closely examines the arrival of a group of Europeans in Paraguay to establish a commune shaped by their ideologies and capital—and how this transforms the lives of local people. Around Paradise offers a powerful reflection on new forms of colonialism.