The Palace

U.S. Premiere.

Once upon a time there was, and there still is today… the Palace Hotel. An extraordinary castle designed in the early 1900s by a mystical architect, settled in the Swiss Alps, in the midst of a snowy valley. The Palace Hotel has a gothic and fairytale-like atmosphere where wealthy, pampered, and indulged guests meet from all over the world. This year, a unique event has brought them all together: the New Year’s Eve party of 2000. In service to their extravagant needs is a horde of waiters, bellboys, chefs, and receptionists.
As the dawn of the new millennium approaches, Hansueli, the devoted fifty-year-old
manager of the luxurious hotel, inspects the staff with near-military precision before the guests arrive for the party, reassuring them that it won’t be the end of the world. “At eight o’clock, a lot of very important people will dine at our tables. The mood in which they leave in the morning will impact the lives of millions of ordinary people. Our duty is to make sure no one’s ass gets sore from sitting on too hard a chair, that they all stuff themselves with caviar to their hearts’ content, that bubbles of champagne gush from their noses and ears. Is that clear??”
But in the air, the Millennium Bug looms, and there’s both fear and hope that at the stroke
of midnight, the accounts of big financiers may experience unexpected swings due to the
crash of the world’s computer systems.
In fact, what awaits is a battle fought with extravagance and eccentricity among the hotel’s guests. Dogs and penguins with human needs and humans with animal-like desires. Their stories give life to an absurd, dark, and provocative comedy. It’s the end of 1999: not just the conclusion of a century, but the end of an entire controversial millennium.

Q&A’s with producer/actor Luca Barbareschi following 9/18-9/21 screenings.