cineflix productions

When Dreams of Paradise Become a Living Nightmare

July 22, 2008

Exclusive to Discovery HD, Paradise Lost Premieres Aug. 5

In a Canadian broadcast exclusive, Discovery HD presents a rare look at real-life tales of foreign dreams crushed by crime, conspiracy and threats of murder with Paradise Lost. Premiering Tues., Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT, exclusively on Discovery HD, Paradise Lost captures what it’s like to be in the wrong place at the wrong time – and a long way from home. With all the suspense of a Hollywood thriller, this horrifying candid series will keep you at the edge of your seat with never-before-told stories of the danger that lies behind the swaying palms of paradise.

**Media Note** - Download photos from Paradise Lost at: www.ctvmedia.ca/discoveryhd.

A new Canadian series, co-produced by Cineflix and Nextfilm, Paradise Lost features unscripted home videos, stylized re-enactments and compelling interviews – raw accounts of bone-chilling nightmares abroad that uncover the dark and sinister side of paradise. Enhanced by the sharpness and superior quality of High Definition, Paradise Lost is a fascinating thrill-ride capturing the dark tales that lurk beneath the exotic locale and sunny skies of utopia.

Episode highlights from Paradise Lost include:

Paradise Lost – “Nightmare in Kenya”
Tues., Aug. 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Propelled by her dreams of owning a nightclub and a new life in paradise, following the sudden death of her fiancé, Nikki Roberts leaves England for a fresh start in Watamu, East Africa. With the funds from her fiancés life insurance settlement, Nikki’s business efforts are troubled from the start as she is first conned out of thousands of pounds and then falls victim to voodoo targeted at her successful nightclub. Forced to flee town after a betrayal from a close business friend, a pregnant and penniless Nikki resettles further up coast with her new love only to be subject to a horrifying botched cesarean. Three months and another new nightclub later, Nikki is attacked again by voodoo and corruption and is thrown in jail on trumped-up charges, only to find her business being run by the same corrupt officials who imprisoned her.

Paradise Lost – “Busted in Boomtown”
Tues., Aug. 12 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Unemployed, separated and ready for a new start, New Yorker Mark Seidenfeld is offered a wonderful new job opportunity in Almaty, Kazakhstan. With a brief to grow the company so it can be sold for profit, Mark quickly masters the murky local business practices and is celebrated for his company’s revenue boom. But as he turns his attention to cutting jobs, however, Mark locks horns with an unscrupulous local investor who vows to seek revenge. When the company is later put up for sale, the infuriated man becomes the new owner and immediately fires Mark, accusing him of embezzling money. After eventually clearing his name of the false charges, Mark moves to Moscow where his past quickly catches up to him and is arrested on the same trumped-up charges. Slammed into a freezing Siberian prison, Mark faces a possible 10-year sentence at the hands of a local powerbroker out for revenge and Kazakhstan’s notoriously corrupt justice system.

Paradise Lost – “Baby Snatcher”
Tues., Aug. 19 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

Nineteen-year-old Samantha Lowry takes a gap year trip to Mexico where she falls head-over-heels in love with a wealthy playboy named Daniel. After a three-month fairytale romance, she returns to England to complete her studies. Upon graduation Samantha goes back to Mexico where Daniel asks her to stay for good. Six months later, the couple relocates to Austin, Texas where Daniel proposes. Everything is picture perfect until Samantha gets pregnant. When the baby is born, the romance turns to blazing rows as Daniel shows little interest in his son – or in Samantha. And when she tells him she wants to return to England without him, Daniel responds by abducting their eight-week old baby and disappearing to Mexico. With the help of her family and U.S. authorities, Samantha begins an intense, cross-border manhunt. Daniel reacts by threatening to kill the baby. Finally, after five months of desperate search, Samantha hatches an e-mail battle strategy to exploit Daniel’s weaknesses until he relents. Briefly reunited with her baby at a custody meeting in Mexico City, in a nail biting climax she escapes with him back to Britain.

Paradise Lost – “Diamonds and Voodoo”
Tues., Aug. 26 at 9 p.m. ET/PT

When British couple Phil and Lynn leave England to open a hotel in The Gambia, West Africa, they are welcomed by sunshine, good business and the local community. One day, an expat named Nick charms his way into a position at the hotel and is later left in charge when Phil and Lynn return home for a visit. Before their departure, their new employee and good friend Nick lures them into a fake diamond scam with a local witchdoctor.  Upon their arrival a few weeks later, their hotel is ransacked and Phil is arrested and accused of stealing the diamonds.  After being brutally beaten by police and falsely thrown into prison, Phil comes to realize the full extent of the conspiracy against him and Lynn by Nick and the witchdoctor. After a failed attempt to flee the country, Phil is convicted to six years hard labour but is miraculously acquitted with the help of a successful British businessman.


Discovery HD
Taking Discovery Channel programming to a bigger and bolder platform, Discovery HD is Canada’s first 24-hour specialty service broadcasting exclusively in High Definition. With a fascinating perspective on science and technology, adventure, engineering and natural history, Discovery HD is at the forefront of innovative factual storytelling, fusing critically acclaimed programming from Canada and around the world with the latest in High Definition technology. Discovery HD is wholly owned by Discovery Channel Canada, a joint venture between CTV Specialty Television Inc. and Discovery Communications.


For More Information:
Jodi Cook
Manager, Programming Communications, Discovery HD
jcook@discovery.ca or 416.332.4426