Lights, Camera, ACTION in Paris, Ontario!

CBC GEM series “Paris Paris” takes over downtown

Zazie Films transformed downtown Paris into….well, Paris! The production crew was in town on Tuesday, April 11th to film season 2 of Paris Paris, which airs on CBC GEM. Pictured front and centre is Maxim Roy, who plays Jenny on the show To the left is CoProducer, Director and Screenwriter Dominic Desjardins.

All photos by Chris Whelan

Maxim Roy is a multi-award nominated actress who has most recently starred in the English version of the moldbreaking police drama 19-2, leading to a Canadian Screen Award nomination for her role She has garnered four Lead Actress Gemini nominations for the hugely popular series O' In addition to shooting the third season of 19-2 in 2015, she became Jocelyn Fray on the highly anticipated ABC Family series SHADOWHUNTERS based on The Mortal Instruments novels.

Maxim has over 100 film and television credits to her name, REGENESIS, HEARTLAND, DEFYING GRAVITY just to name a few In 2009, Maxim was nominated for a Jutra (Quebec Oscars) for best supporting actress in the indie-film, ADAM'S WALL. The Montreal beauty has also been named one of "Canada's 25 Most Beautiful Stars" by Star! Magazine and "The Sexiest and Most Beautiful Popular Actress" by ICI Montreal. Aside from her passion for acting, Maxim is an activist who actively devotes herself to several organizations such as Greenpeace and is the spokesperson for ANEB (a non-profit organization to help those affected by eating disorders) and Ecosphere(environmental event with more than 190 exhibitors and 40 conferences)

Zazie Films Inc. is a French-language production company founded by producer, director and screenwriter Dominic Desjardins and producer Rayne Zukerman. The company produced the first Franco-Ontarian feature film, Le Divan du Monde in 2009 The film was released theatrically in Quebec, and thanks to an alternative distribution strategy in partnership with Telefilm Canada, the film was screened in all four corners of the Francophonie. Zazie Films produced the program La Tournée des Cafés in Ontario broadcast on TFO and the documentary Hymne Migratoire for RadioCanada. She produces virtual reality and digital media projects. More recently, Zazie Films produced the drama series Paris Paris, an original creation by Dominic and Rayne, for UnisTV now also available on CBC GEM.

Paris Paris - Philippe lives in Paris He dreams of literature, theatre and culture The problem is that he does not live in Paris, France, but in Paris, Ontario, a quiet little town far from everything, where the only culture is agri-culture. After losing his job as a French teacher, he starts to question his accomplishments. His wife Jenny, his in-laws, and even his 10-year-old son Tom are concerned he’s depressed. Philippe takes a lifetime of pent up frustration out of his old furnace, where he finds a hidden tunnel The tunnel leads him to a trapdoor, which opens onto a theatre stage Only, he’s no longer in Ontario, but in France He starts to lead a double life in both cities, until what happens on one end of the tunnel starts to impact the other.

1,500 pancakes and 60+ litres of maple syrup later….

Library was shining strong, letting everyone know about the many things they have coming up in the program.

Saturday April 8th was a pictureperfect day in Paris and no one was happier than the Paris Lions Club and perhaps nearby pancake lovers!

The Paris Lions Club has been running their community fundraiser, The Maple Syrup Festival, since 2012 and it has been growing and evolving since then This year welcoming thousands of visitors, serving 1500+ pancakes, and drizzling 60+ litres of golden goodness - with all the raised monies going towards local charities and/or local project improvements. It was chilly when we arrived early in the morning but with the sun beaming, not a cloud in the sky and the promise of warm eats and entertainment, there was already a chipper crowd congregated and a big line up for the Lions Club secret recipe pancakes. There were people of all ages, lots of delighted dogs, various vendors ranging from beard care to baked good to pickle on a stick; it was a very charming sight to behold This year’s Maple Syrup Festival was on Grand River Street North, in the downtown core, between William and Mechanic Streets and was a good little stretch with lots of space for all the vendors and visitors. For those who aren’t into pancakes, there were several other food stalls available and lots of shopping possible for dessert. My favourite stalls were the community based ones: downtown staple Paris Bakery had a table in front of their shop, the Terry Fox Run team was doing their thing (this year’s run is September 17th, so you still have time to sign up and start training!), the Walk for Dog Guides people and pooches were there (fundraising walk happening Sunday June 4th) and the Paris Public

There were a number of locals performing and keeping the energy going all day. The morning saw Joan Minnery’s Sing It! students giving it their all, taking turns singing and showing off their passion for song. Bravo to: Hilary, Iris, Emma, Lilly, Yvie, Morgan, Ryleigh, Delilah and Steve.

Doug The Great (Hunt), the sensational stilt walker, was there in the afternoon, in brilliant bunny regalia, bringing lots of smiles and taking lots of photos with visitors of all ages.

Around midday there was the Brant County Line Dance Challenge, a group that were attempting to “go for the record for the largest outdoor line dancing class in Southern Ontario and set the record for the largest outdoor dance class in Canada performing the line dance ” I’m not gunna lie, I don’t know if they achieved that record breaker BUT I do know that many people who joined in the Brantford Line Dance Network challenge, loved the dancing and had a fantastic time, so mission accomplished! Overall, it was a lovely gathering, a great opportunity for local and visiting peoples to support the Paris community and to leave with happy bellies and hearts in return. More photos on the next page

Who’s over 10 feet tall and makes guests appearances at most Paris festivals? If you answered Doug the Great, you are GREAT! He’s pictured at the Maple Syrup Festival in a fun photo captured by Stay Focused Photography by Emily Kew. Pickles and Maple Syrup don’t generally go hand in hand but that didn’t stop festival goers from trying to fetch their own pickles last Saturday morning!

There were a well over a dozen Paris Lions Club volunteers, working in shifts last weekend to ensure the success of the festival. Paris Councillor John Bell was just one of many local residents who welcomed the return of the popular street fest. Far left photo by Casandra Turnbull