BEING THERE

Paris, the city of light and wonder. A city of discreet passions and intense inspiration. The city of Charles Laughton's Quasimodo and Maurice Chevalier's Gigi. The site of the first projection of a moving picture, and of Canal+.

People have mixed feelings about Paris and the Parisians, and rightly so. It, and they, cling to tradition, and sometimes frazzled foreigners forget that it is just that tenacity which preserves the most charming aspects of the city. The major hotels and restaurants are extremely accommodating, but the rest can be counted on to do it 'their' way. In Paris, there is a time, a place and a rule for everything.

Paris is the hub of film and audiovisual activity in France. Generally speaking, the distribution offices are clustered in and about the eighth arrondissement, and the production offices are in the fourth. However, like all big cities, the big complexes need space and are on the outskirts. Canal+ is on the river Seine in the 15th. INA (the National Audiovisual Institute) is out in Bry-sur-Marne.

France leads Europe in the number of films produced each year. It also leads in cinema admissions. France has more cinemas than any other country in Europe, representing, in fact, about one quarter of all the screens in the EC.