PARIS

WEDNESDAY 29 OCTOBER AT 9:15PM UGC SHAFTESBURY AVE SCREEN 1

Country USA Running Time 97 mins Format HD/DV Dir Ramin Niami Prods Ramin Niami, Karen Robson S'play Ramin Niami, Steven Beschloss DoP Jack Cochran Cast Chad Allen, Bai Ling, James Russo, Karen Black Print Source Cinemavault E nickjensen@cinemavault.com

Paris follows rookie detective Jason Bartok on his disturbing journey through the shadowy underworld of Los Angeles and Las Vegas, illuminated only by a sweet but short-lived romance with a strikingly beautiful, enigmatic woman. The story begins with Jason accidentally shooting his corrupt partner, Leon and then grabbing stolen money from the crime scene at the older policeman's urging. Guilt-ridden, Jason flees to track down Leon's lover, Linda, an illegal immigrant, to deliver the cash to her. His search takes in seedy motels and rough bars, an LA massage parlour and a Nevada ranch, until finally, in a dingy Vegas dive, he discovers her, a sparkling jewel ensnared by the sex trade. Stalked by thugs, Jason and Linda are thrust together to make their escape through the California desert. As Linda's American dream continues to crumble and Jason struggles with guilt, passion takes over these star-crossed lovers desperate for a fresh start.

Filmed on HD and DV, and suffused with the nightmarish and hallucinatory lights of LA and Vegas, Paris re-invigorates noir clich»s by locating dread and foreboding in over-lit hotel rooms, and garish neon displays. Add to this a haunting score, and a clear-eyed view of the lives destroyed by the coming together of illegal immigration and the sex trade, and you get a very special piece of neo-noir. BW

Ramin Niami's first feature was Somewhere in the City (1997), a festival hit, which gained a release in the US and pay-TV play. Niami has worked extensively on docs and shorts for film and TV in Europe, the Middle East and the US.