Eden is West

Legendary Greek director Costa-Gavras (Z, Missing, The Ax) returns with perhaps his most personal film, a playful fairy tale which tackles both the hardships suffered by illegal immigrants to Europe, and the magical nature of a world in which every experience is full of both promise and threat.

Just as in the Odyssey of Homer, the adventures of Elias begin on the Aegean Sea. A rusting trawler packed with men, women and children clandestinely approaches the bright lights of an emerging shore-we may not know where they all began but we know where they hope to arrive: the West, a real as well as mythical place. For Elias (Riccardo Scarmarcio) this is literally Eden Club Paradise, the name of the resort where he washes up and begins his extraordinary journey to reach Paris. In Elias travels across a microcosm of contemporary Europe, Costa-Gavras has crafted an epic story for our times, one full of heart, humour and wondrous complexities.

Languages: French, German, Greek, English