real love isn't a movie
Best Narrative Features Jury Award
2023 Austin Film Festival - Nominee
Now streaming on Paramount+ (Canada)
Coming soon to HBO (Europe)
"A perfect movie for movie lovers"
-POV Magazine
Directed by:
Vanessa Matsui
Written & Produced by:
Bill Robertson
Starring: Liane Balaban,
Allan Hawco, and
Kenneth Welsh (Twin Peaks) in his final
film
Over the course of one evening, three couples are pulled into a
collision course of sexual chemistry, delusion and hope as they explore
what love, death and the magic of the movies mean to them.
About
When they were teenagers, Iris (Liane Balaban) and Alex (Allan
Hawco) went to see the sexy 1960 French classic
'Breathless' and fell in love.
But life had other plans.
Twenty years later, Iris is married to workaholic
doctor Geoff (Ryan Allen), stressed out by motherhood and
caring for her dying, self-centered film critic father, Max
(Kenneth Welsh). Tonight she has scheduled a screening of
'Breathless' at the rundown Paradise Theater in
Max's honor, and on a whim invites Alex.
But
when Alex shows up with his fiancee Anthea (Emma Ferreira) in
tow, Iris' world is turned upside down and the two
ex-lovers spend the evening contemplating the past and
plotting a future together.
RUNNING TIME: 94 Minutes GENRE: Romantic Drama
LANGUAGE: English COUNTRY: Canada
Meet the Midnight Team
VANESSA MATSUI
Director
is a Toronto-based director-creator of Japanese
descent. Midnight At The Paradise is her
directorial debut feature. She was selected as a
Sundance New Voices fellow in 2019 for her hit web
series Ghost BFF, which she created,
wrote, directed for and starred in, and which won
multiple awards including Best Web Series at the
LA International Femme Film Festival, has been
nominated for six Canadian Screen Awards over two
seasons, has screened at festivals globally
including The Austin Film Festival where it was
also nominated for Best Web Series, and can now be
found on Shaftesbury's KindaTV. Vanessa is
currently the series director on the drama
How To Fail As A Pop Star
for CBC Gem.
Learn more
BILL ROBERTSON
Writer Producer
An award-winning writer/producer/director (The Events Leading Up to My Death, Apartment
Hunting) based in Toronto. His first feature,
The Events Leading Up to My Death, won
Best Canadian Screenplay at VIFF. Bill has also
worked in television as a creative
producer/writer/director. In 2014, he won a
Canadian Screen Award for producing the History
Channel's hit Museum Secrets. In
2020, he was selected to participate in a Sundance
Producer's Workshop with
Midnight At The Paradise. He also
produced the breakout Toronto indie band, The
Neighbourhood Watch, whose music and performance
are featured in Midnight At The Paradise.
Learn more
JASON TAN
Cinematographer
is a brilliant cinematographer who was nominated
for an Emmy award for his work on
The Clark Sisters: First Ladies of Gospel. Other key credits include the award-winning
features Goalie and Ken Finkelman’s
An American Dream: The Education of William
Bowman. He just completed Season 2 of
Son of a Critch starring Malcolm McDowell
for CBC-TV.
Learn more
PAUL BARKIN
Executive Producer
Has been producing feature films via Alcina
Pictures for over 20 years. Nominated for the 2022
CMPA Established Producer Award, Paul has
championed many award-winning and first-time
filmmakers. Selected credits include Cherien
Dabis’ Sundance and Cannes entry,
Amreeka, nominated for three Independent
Spirit Awards including Best Picture; Bruce
McDonald’s 2007 Berlinale Panorama opener,
The Tracey Fragments, starring Elliot
Page; the ice-age apocalypse, The Colony,
starring Laurence Fishburne and Bill Paxton;
Jasmin Mozaffari's powerful, award-winning
debut, Firecrackers, and Danis
Goulet's multi-award winner,
Night Raiders. Upcoming for Barkin is the
psychological-thriller Sharp Corner from
award-winning director Jason Buxton
(Blackbird).
Learn more
Meet the Midnight Cast
LIANE BALABAN
Iris
Made a major splash with her debut in the lead
role of Alan Moyle's
New Waterford Girl. She received a
Special Jury Citation at TIFF for her performance.
Variety described her performance opposite Kevin
Pollak in Gary Yates’ acclaimed
Seven Times Lucky as
"unforgettable." Recent films include
Lullaby, directed by John Leonetti for
Alcon, Small Fortune by Adam Perry,
Woman In Car by Vanya Rose-Kuhrt, and
Mina Shum's Meditation Park. She
also starred in the romantic comedies
The Grand Seduction with Taylor Kitsch
and Finding Joy opposite Josh Cooke, as
well as Joel Hopkins’
Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman,
Coach with Hugh Dancy, Michael McGowan’s
One Week opposite Joshua Jackson.
Learn more
ALLAN HAWCO
Alex
An acclaimed actor, writer, and
executive producer and one of Canada's most
recognizable stars. He currently appears on the
CBC and Netflix show Moonshine. Allan is
the creator of the hit CBC television series
Republic of Doyle (2010-2014). Allan
played the lead, Jake Doyle, the roguish and
irreverent private investigator, and served as the
show's showrunner for its six-season run. The
show is now a success on streaming networks such
as Amazon Prime and Netflix Worldwide.
Allan's television and streaming credits
include: Another Life (Netflix),
Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan (Amazon
Prime), Frontier Season 1-3 (Netflix),
The Book of Negroes (BET/CBC). Allan’s
feature film credits include principal roles in
Director Bruce McDonald’s award-winning film Weirdos (2017), Love & Savagery (2009), directed by John Smith, and Sir Richard
Attenborough's
Closing the Ring (2007) with Christopher
Plummer and Shirley MacLaine
Learn more
KENNETH WELSH
Max
Kenneth had a long and fascinating career that
started in Edmonton and led him to stages and
studios across Canada, NYC, and worldwide. He
starred in twenty plays on and off Broadway and
seven seasons at The Stratford Festival. Two of
his favourites were premieres of
The Real Thing directed by Mike Nichols
and
Frankie and Johnny In The Claire de Lune opposite Kathy Bates. Kenneth may be best known
for his memorable turn in
Twin Peaks. Other film credits include
The Aviator,
The Day After Tomorrow and
Heartburn. He was featured in
the AMC series Lodge 49 and most recently
guest-starred in episodes of Charmed and
Star Trek Discovery. Kenneth won a total
of five Canadian Screen awards and one ACTRA Award
and was a recipient of the Order of Canada.
Kenneth passed away on May 5, 2022. Midnight At The Paradise is his final film. RYAN ALLEN
(GEOFF)
Learn more
RYAN ALLEN
Geoff
No stranger to stage, screen, or recording booth.
With early origins in opera performance, Ryan
quickly transitioned his stage career to the
theatre, and there's been no stopping him
since. Theatrically, Ryan's most notable
credits include multiple productions of
The Color Purple and a leading role in
the Broadway production of
The Book Of Mormon. On-screen,
Ryan's work has spanned a variety of networks
and streamers with highlights including a series
lead role on Between(Netflix),
SEE (Apple TV+),
Five Days at Memorial (Apple TV+);
recurring guest star roles on
Rogue (DirecTv), Taken (NBC),
21 Thunder (CBC), and most recently the
role of fan-favourite Jack Drake on the latest
season of Titans (HBO Max).
Learn more
EMMA FERREIRA
Anthea
Currently starring in two Netflix shows, including
the new Rob Lowe vehicle Unstable. She
was named a 2021 TIFF Rising Star for her feature
debut and lead role in the feature film
Learn To Swim, which was recently picked
up by Ava Duvernay and Netflix. She
trained at York University's Acting
Conservatory. She was cast as Juliet in
Measure for Measure and Hero in
Much Ado About Nothing in Canadian
Stage's Shakespeare in the Park.
Learn more
KATE TROTTER
Charmaine
Kate's screen credits now number well over 60
and include her Gemini Award-winning
guest-starring performances on Global Television’s
dramatic series Blue Murder and a
Gemini-nominated performance on Traders.
Her guest turns also include roles on
Murdoch Mysteries, Monk, and CBC’s
immensely popular Heartland to name just
a few. include the dramatic thriller
Plain Truth opposite
Law and Order’s Mariska Hargitay; the mini-series
The Lives Of The Saints, where she played
opposite Sophia Loren, Jasper Texas as
Jon Voight’s wife; Fallen Angel playing
opposite GarySinise. Big screen credits include
Beyond Borders where she shared the
screen with Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen;
Compulsion; an award-winning performance
in Tru Love; and Upside Down
with Kristen Dunst and Jim Sturgess.
Learn more
Meet the The Midnight Sound
Introducing:
The Neighbourhood Watch
The Neighbourhood Watch is a band based in Toronto,
Canada consisting of members; Tristan Surman (Vocals,
Rhythm Guitar), Tyler Moretti (Piano), Ethan Surman
(Lead Guitar, Bass, Backup Vocals), Wyeth Robertson
(Drums, Guitar). As of 2020, the band has released two
albums and one EP.
Listen ON SPOTIFY
In loving memory of Kenneth Welsh
1942 - 2022
Watch video
Special Thanks
The York-Durham Heritage Railway, The Ace Diner, The Drake Hotel,
The Regent Theatre, The Monarch Tavern and The Paradise Theatre,
Toronto.
