In this case, 6,000 miles away to the mountains and overnight trains of South East Asia.

Recently, Paradigm director James joined filmmaker and long-time collaborator Coz Greenop on an ambitious feature film project shot across Vietnam, packed with problem-solving, cultural exchange, artistic experimentation and passion for filmmaking.

James and Coz have worked together for more than 20 years, collaborating on multiple projects, including 3 previous feature films.

But this latest project may be their boldest yet.

The film and Its creative vision.

‘The Last Room In Hanoi’ draws from the slow cinema movement. Lacking dialogue, the film relies on strong acting performances, stunning cinematography, sharp editing, and atmospheric sound design.

The ‘fish out of water’ story follows a western character (played by Jack McEvoy) who finds himself exploring the bustling cities and beautiful landscapes of Vietnam, encountering something quite unexpected along the way. It is inspired by regional myths and legends and covers themes of alienation, love, loss and redemption.

Crafting meaning without dialogue.

“It’s probably the strangest thing I’ve ever edited,” James laughs. “With no dialogue, there’s nothing to hide behind. Every shot, every sound and every moment has to carry meaning. The whole Paradigm team were drafted in to help generate the soundscape. In our sound booth the team helped me create footsteps, slurped noodles and jangled coins to help build up the scenes!”

A creative experience beyond the production.

With the help of Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, in collaboration with Hanoi based 2BIGproductions, the team embraced a stripped-back, guerrilla-style approach to filmmaking.

James describes the experience as both creatively inspiring and culturally eye-opening.

“We were welcomed everywhere we went,” he says. “They completely rolled out the red carpet for us.”