Directed by Victor Nunez
USA | 1993 | Fiction | 114 min | English
Film Source: Filmmaker
Sponsored by: Kim MacQueen
Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival, Victor Nunez’s magical Ruby in Paradise is a simple story of a young working-class woman fleeing a bad situation to find herself in Nunez’ familiar cinematic realm, North Florida, where she learns her own self-worth. But the film is so deeply felt, intricately crafted and beautifully performed – Ashley Judd’s star-making titular performance earned her an Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead – that it becomes much more than the sum of its parts. Ava Duvernay, director of Selma, said the film “became really formative for me…It’s a simple film. A beautiful film. I’d never seen anything like this before.” Roger Ebert cited it as one of the best films of its year, calling it “a breathtaking movie…the writing, the acting, the lighting, the direction…you will be looking at a movie that knows exactly what it is about and how to achieve it.” ~SM *** Followed by in-person Q&A with the director, recipient of VTIFF’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to American Cinema, sponsored by CSE Holding Co.***