Mumbai: The Pine Hill production Looking for Palladin, seen last week at the Cannes, will be presented at Israel’s 7th Cinema South Film Festival in Ashkelon on 2 June.

Looking for Palladin was the only US production invited because it fits the festival’s international and humanitarian profile. It is a comedy-drama with a twist that stars Ben Gazzara, Talia Shire, David Moscow, Vincent Pastore, Pedro Armendariz, Jr., and Angelica Aragon.

The film’s director and writer Andrzej Krakowski is noted throughout the world and especially in Israel for writing the holocaust survival film Triumph of the Spirit. He is also well known as writer-director of the holocaust docudrama Farewell to My Country. He has been asked to serve on the jury of the Cinema South Festival’s documentary section.

According to Krakowski, "Looking for Palladin is a milestone in my career. It is important to several generations as an allegory for the failure of baby boomers as parents."

It is also the first non-native feature film to be made entirely in Guatemala in 70 years. The story concerns young, arrogant Hollywood talent agent, Josh Ross (David Moscow) who goes to Guatemala reluctantly to find two-time Oscar winner and retired actor Jack Palladin (Ben Gazzara). Josh’s disregard for the "old" actor mirrors his disdain for the local community whose help he desperately needs in his search for Palladin.