If you’ve seen directorAlice Waddington’s award-winning short filmDisco Inferno, you’re probably well aware of her penchant for an intoxicating fantasy with wildly original costume and production design, and she most certainly brings those standout qualities to her very first feature film,Paradise Hills.Emma Robertsleads as Uma, a young woman who wakes up in an island-based facility called Paradise Hills. Per the head of the facility, the Duchess played byMilla Jovovich, Uma is there for emotional healing, but the longer Uma and her friends (Eiza GonzálezandDanielle Macdonald) stay there, the clearer it becomes that the staff doesn’t really have its residents' best interests at heart.
While celebrating the world premiere ofParadise Hillsat the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, Waddington, Roberts, Jovovich, González and Macdonald took a moment to swing by the Collider Studio to talk about making the film, the importance of feeling comfortable in your own skin, the sisterhood they formed on set, and loads more. You can catch it all in the video interview at the top of this article, and there’s also a handy breakdown of the complete conversation below.
I’d also like to take a moment to give special thanks to our Collider Studio partner, the all new2020 Kia Telluride, which was transporting filmmakers to our studio in celebration of the debut of the all new model, Kia’s first eight-passenger SUV that is several inches longer and wider than the brand’s award-winning Sorento.
Libations were also flowing at the Collider Studio with parties hosted byLIFEWTR, Tequila Comisario, Sensi Tuscany Wines, Blue Moon Belgian WhiteandDragonfly Coffee Roasters. Food during the parties was provided byGreene St. Kitchen of Palms Casino Resortlead by Chef Du CuisineLanny Chin. Brand partners active during the day includedmou, a luxury footwear and accessories line, andThe Wild Immersionendorsed by Jane Goodall who was on-site with the world’s first “virtual reserve.”
Danielle Macdonald, Eiza González, Alice Waddington, Emma Roberts & Milla Jovovich:
Here’s the official Sundance synopsis forParadise Hills:
When Uma wakes up alone on a strange island called Paradise, she instantly suspects it’s anything but. Helmed by the Duchess (Milla Jovovich), Paradise Hills is a center for emotional healing that at its core serves as a reformatory-style boarding school for privileged young women. Yet behind the rose-covered pathways and fairy-tale decor, Uma and her friends learn something more sinister is at work.
