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From its humble beginnings as a passion project made by director Michael Duignan and a group of dedicated Kiwi collaborators, The Paragon takes audiences on a quirkily delightful adventure. Working with a tiny budget of only $15,000 US dollars, the film never lets its financial limitations hold back its boundless imagination.

We’re introduced to Dutch, a grumpy ex-tennis pro nursing resentment after a hit-and-run accident destroyed his career. Seeking vengeance, he joins forces with mystical seer Lyra to learn psychic abilities and track down the elusive vehicle. But far greater forces are at work—Lyra is in a battle with her evil brother Haxan, who aims to control an all-powerful crystal. The fate of the universe hangs in the balance, whether Dutch cares to notice or not.

Boasting creative flare and oddball charm, The Paragon nods to sci-fi classics of the 1980s while forging its own path. Director Duignan’s...

"You will find the paragon for me!" Doppelgänger Releasing has unveiled an official trailer for a film called The Paragon, made by New Zealand filmmaker Michael Duignan. This wacky lo-fi sci-fi thriller originally premiered at the 2023 New Zealand Film Festival last year, and is getting a theatrical debut in the US this fall. It was shot over 13 days in Auckland, New Zealand on a budget of around $15,000 in US dollars. That's a considerably tiny budget! Yet this still looks pretty damn good. The victim of a hit and run learns how to be psychic so he can find the car that hit him and take revenge on the driver. Everything converges towards the singularity in Michael Duignan's feature film debut, a "hilarious rift in space-time." Starring Benedict Wall, Florence Noble, Jessica Grace Smith, & Jonny Brugh. Reviews say it "gives its all, embracing its DIY nature to deliver a light and breezy sci-fi comedy,...

One of the year’s best examples of resourceful filmmaking, Michael Duignan’s fantasy comedy The Paragon was shot over just 13 days in Auckland, New Zealand for a budget of around $15,000 in U.S. dollars. After premiering to much acclaim at Rotterdam and Fantasia, Music Box Films’ genre label Doppelganger Releasing will now open it to kick off the fall and we’re pleased to exclusively debut the new trailer. The film will specifically open on September 6 in theaters at Alamo Drafthouse locations in NY, LA, Chicago, Denver, Austin, and more, as well as digitally.

“I wanted to tell a story about the most shallow person I could imagine looking for revenge but accidentally stumbling into a kind of spiritual enlightenment,” the director tells us. “I personally take these ideas seriously, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that the universe is a big cosmic joke. So it turned...

For a film about saving the universe from cosmic evil, stakes couldn’t be lower in The Paragon. What begins as a man’s quest for revenge takes a hard left into the occult and psychedelic, but its scope never expands outside of a small-town setting and smaller-minded protagonist. If anything, the film can’t get any bigger if it wanted to; writer-director-editor-cinematographer Michael Duignan shot it in less than two weeks on a budget of $25,000 New Zealand dollars (that’s around $15K in US currency). In other words: the film couldn’t afford corners let alone cut them. But The Paragon gives its all, embracing its DIY nature to deliver a light and breezy sci-fi comedy, and what it lacks in budget it more than compensates for in low-key charm.

It starts one year after a hit and run left egotistical tennis player Dutch (Benedict Wall) with a limp on his right leg,...

Exclusive: New Zealand psychedelic comedy movie The Paragon has landed North American distribution.

Music Box Films and Doppelgänger Releasing have acquired the pic, which stars Benedict Wall, Florence Noble, and Jonny Brugh.

From writer-director Michael Duignan, the quirky saga follows Dutch, an angry former tennis coach whose life has fallen apart since he was the victim of a hit-and-run a year ago. In a bid to find the driver and take revenge, Dutch embarks on a strange psychic training course designed to unlock his latent mind powers.

“The Paragon is a tale of revenge, redemption and the confounding ways that each of our destinies is tangled up with strangers,” said Duignan. “We were a small team making a story about big ideas, powered by the sheer love and madness of making independent movies.”

Music Box Films is reviving its alternative distribution label Doppelgänger Releasing,...

Heartfelt Obsession

Netflix this week announced six new Korean romance titles slated for the rest of 2023. They are: “See You in my 19th Life,” “King the Land,” “Behind Your Touch,” “Destined With You,” “A Time Called You,” and “Doona!”

The titles were unveiled at an in-person event called “K-romance obsession” in Seoul. Guests were mostly K-drama influencers from around the Asia Pacific region and the event was decked out with reds, pinks and vast numbers of heart decorations. Guests were offered snack food that had been featured in earlier hit K-drama shows including “Crash Landing on You,” “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” “Business Proposal” and “Alchemy of Souls.”

According to Netflix, between 2018 to 2022, global viewership of its K-Romance titles tripled, with more than 90% views coming from outside South Korea in 2022 alone. Don Kang, VP of content (Korea) said, “Our stories touch on the universal aspects of life — love, heartbreak, and tenderness, while...

You might want to check out this amusing short film called Ten Thousand Hours. It was written and directed by Michael Duignan, and I think it turned out pretty amazing. I loved this short, and thought it was incredibly funny. The comedic timing is perfect, but its sense of humor might not be for everybody. Here's a brief synopsis:

True Love Never Dies...Darby Duncan is convinced he will die on his Ten Thousandth Day. But when he meets Arabella at the funeral of his cousin, things don't quite go to plan.

Enjoy the show!

True Love Never Dies... This might just be the perfect short film to watch this fine, incredibly hot summer week. I was tipped to check out a short film called Ten Thousand Days from New Zealand, a hilarious but sweet story of love and death directed by Michael Duignan. I love the look and style of this, it has a quirky Wes Anderson vibe with Tarantino-esque style, but more than anything the story is just perfect. There are so many laugh out loud lines and sweet moments that will make you smile and think back on your own life and the many experiences that have made it so memorable. Worth watching. "Tell them... I danced on the edge!" Short synopsis via Vimeo: Darby Duncan is convinced he will die on his Ten Thousandth Day. But when he meets Arabella at the funeral of his cousin, things don't quite go to plan.