9-year-old Alma is forced to leave Mexico when her father, John, is accused of smuggling artifacts. Years later, after her father’s death, Alma returns to Mexico to confront the man responsible for their emigration. But she finds more than she was looking for—in the form of a new sense of belonging.
Inspired by writer-director Elise DuRant's childhood experiences in Mexico, EDÉN (Eden) is an intimately rendered film about coming home. 9-year-old Alma is forced to leave Mexico when her father, John (Will Oldham), is accused of smuggling artifacts. Years later, after her father’s death, Alma returns to Mexico to confront the man responsible for their emigration. But she finds more than she was looking for—in the form of a new cultural identity—and old secrets are revealed. This sensitively depicted, personal exploration of the ties that bind—to family or country—is a film about our search for roots and a sense of belonging, and the love and loss that accompanies this search.
Elise DuRant is an award-winning film director and writer. Her debut feature film EDÉN (Eden), is a bilingual film inspired by Elise's childhood experiences in Mexico. EDÉN stars songwriter and actor Will Oldham, made its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, its US premiere at the Atlanta Film Festival, and won the Future/Now Grand Jury Prize at the Montclair Film Festival. Her work has screened at the Museo Tamayo, the High Museum of Art, Museum of the Moving Image, as well as international film festivals including Göteborg, Durban, and Mar del Plata. Elise is the recipient of a New York State Council on the Arts Individual Artist grant, New York Foundation for the Arts Fiscal Sponsorship, and the Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund.
World Premiere - International Film Festival Rotterdam 2014
Durban International Film Festival 2014
Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2014
US Premiere - Atlanta Film Festival 2015
Montclair Film Festival 2015 - Future/Now Grand Jury Prize
Los Cabos Film Festival 2014 - Gabriel Figueroa Film Fund
Actor - Will Oldham
Director of Photography - Vicente Pouso
Editor - Yibrán Asuad
