SYNOPSIS

Lisbon. Portugal. Present day. For Alex and Bruno, it could be any other time or place. An old and sickly failed English actor, Alex drags out a solitary existence recording voice-overs for cheap travel videos, drinking himself to sleep at the local bar, and ridiculing the world and others with his cynical wit. Bruno, a young and reclusive Portuguese locksmith, devotes himself to his obsession: fighting the passing of time. He does this by breaking into other peoples homes to make a record of their lives and identities through their possessions, which he then meticulously organizes in a large archive at the back of his shop.Although strangers to one another, both mens lives are set to change when Irene, an attractive Portuguese painter, moves into the apartment next to Alexs. Joyful and passionate about life, Irene is everything Alex and Bruno are not, and the two mens lives begin to gravitate obsessively around her.

Then one day, inexplicably, Irene disappears. Although initially hostile to each other, Alex and Bruno join forces to search Irenes apartment for clues to her whereabouts, and slowly move in, forgetting about the world outside. In this safe haven, they begin to grudgingly accept one another, and a trusting friendship slowly develops. When they discover Irene might be in Spain, and in danger, these two unlikely heroes decide to embark on a mission to rescue her, and leave for Spain. The journey might turn out to be pointless. But theyll make it together. As friends.

SELECT FESTIVALS AND AWARDS

• Winner, Best Narrative Film, 2008 New Orleans Film Festival
• Official Selection, 2008 Edinburgh International Film Festival
• Official Selection, 2008 Mill Valley Film Festival
• Official Selection, 2008 Heartland Film Festival
• Official Selection, 2009 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival

DIRECTOR'S BIOGRAPHY

Paolo Marinou-Blanco was born in New York City of a Greek mother and Portuguese father, Paolo was raised in several countries, mainly in Europe. He studied philosophy and history at the London School of Economics, followed by a Masters in French literature at University College London. In 2000, he was accepted to New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, to pursue a Master’s degree in film directing. During the 3-year program at NYU, Paolo wrote and directed two short films and one documentary, completed a cinematography course at F.A.M.U. (Czech Republic), and was director of photography on 5 short films and one feature documentary. In 2003 he completed a directing internship with Spike Lee on “Sucker Free City”, and was 1st assistant director on Kirill Mikhanovsky’s “Sonhos de Peixe” (2006 Cannes Film Festival). In 2007, he wrote and directed his first feature film, “Goodnight Irene”. This story came from a very simple image: Two men, one young, the other old, together in a house that wasn’t theirs. Both solitary by nature, they didn’t belong anywhere, but had found a refuge in one another. When I asked them who they were, and what they were doing there, the story of “Goodnight Irene” came into being.
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Director's Statement: "This is a story about friendship, and its power to overcome loneliness and self-denial. A story of how we struggle with the passage of time, and the different ways we have of coming to terms with it. Lastly, it’s a study of solitude, the various reasons that lead us to isolate ourselves from life, and the different ways in which we do it. But most importantly, it’s a homage to friendship, and how we need it to survive."

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SHOWTIMES

SAT. 5/16 at 1:00PM
Stockton Empire Theatre

SUN. 5/24 at 12:00PM
Stockton Empire Theatre

CAST AND CREW

Screenwriter: Paolo Marinou-Blanco
Producer: François d'Artemare, Maria João Mayer
Cinematographer: Miguel Sales Lopes
Editor: Paolo Marinou-Blanco, Vanessa Pimentel, Pedro Ribeiro
Music: Jaroslaw Bester, Carlos Bica
Production Design: João Torres
Principal Cast: Robert Pugh, Nuno Lopes, Rita Loureiro, Amadeu Caronho, Virgilio Gança

click for full credits

SOURCES

World Sales: Filmes do Tejo
Av. da Liberdade, 85, 3º 1250-140 Lisboa
Tel: +351 213  234 400|401
Fax:+351 213  471 087
filmesdotejo@filmesdotejo.pt
www.filmesdotejo.pt