The Siege Of Paradise

Sat 11 July | 16:00 | Town Hall Theatre

2026 | Ireland, Switzerland | 86’ | European Premiere

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In Cinque Terre, fewer than three thousand locals share their cliffside villages with almost four million tourists a year. Irish filmmaker Gar O’Rourke (Sanatorium, winner of Best Irish Documentary at the 2025 Galway Film Fleadh) covers a summer on one of the most photographed coastlines in the world.

Tracing six lives: Fabrizia, the young mayor torn between her community and the economy that sustains it; Bartolo, an ageing winegrower tending both his vines and his seriously ill wife; Guido, a fisherman betting on integrity over easy money; Carmelo, a weary restaurateur running on fumes; Giorgia, his young daughter weighing the pull of the family business against a life of her own beyond these villages; and Grace and Isabel, two influencers from Chicago on a quest for social media content. With an open heart, The Siege of Paradise asks important questions about over-tourism and our responsibility when we visit some of the world’s most special places. 

Post-show discussion will follow