Paris Doumentary Shows confessional side of Hilton

TORONTO (AP) - One clear fan of a new Paris Hilton documentary has a familiar name: Paris Hilton.

As she left the theater where "Paris, Not France" premiered Tuesday night at the Toronto International Film Festival, Hilton gave a few claps of applause after director Adria Petty was announced for a question-and-answer session to discuss the documentary.

With close access to Hilton, Petty shot extensive footage of Hilton talking about her image, her notorious sex tape, the tabloid photographers who follow her and just the business of being herself.

"I'm basically being judged, and they're creating this false person, and I can't do anything about it," Hilton says in the film.

Featuring interviews with Hilton's parents, sister Nicky, publicist Elliott Mintz and such personalities as Donald Trump, "Paris, Not France" follows her on business meetings, a promotional trip to Japan and everyday tasks such as getting a burger at a drive-thru while dozens of photographers take shots of her ordering.

"It's amazing that this woman is a human being and that people actually can be ruthless enough to forget that," Petty said. "That's the one thing about this movie and about that experience with her is I could have just been shooting fluff, but she gave me a lot more."

Before the Toronto premiere, Hilton posed for photos with Petty but did not talk to reporters. Outside the theater afterward, Hilton signed a few autographs before she was driven off in an SUV.

Petty said the idea was to create for this era a film like "Madonna: Truth or Dare," the 1991 documentary that examined the phenomenon surrounding the pop singer.

Hilton has "created a mystery about herself that a film like this maybe wouldn't have been a great thing for her in the past," Petty said. "But now, she's been so saturated in the media. We're so used to her. To see a new side of her is so exciting."

"Paris, Not France," a new documentary about the life and business of being Hilton debuted on Tuesday at the Toronto International Film Festival. From one look, it doesn't seem like much fun being the 27-year-old global celebrity.

The movie from director Adria Petty, daughter of rocker Tom Petty, shows Hilton at work on red carpets and at home with her family and friends. Petty spent a year documenting Hilton's life and came away with an insider's view.

Hilton, derided by some as a spoiled rich kid with little real talent but adored by her loyal fans, is given largely sympathetic treatment in the film.

She talks openly about her infamous sex tape, growing up in the media glare and her critics and fans. Petty follows Hilton as she promotes various products that bear her name such as perfume, movies, television shows, a book and album.

Everything she does comes under the glare of the media spotlight and the business of being Hilton seems to carry on non-stop. In one scene, a makeup artist prepares Hilton for a public appearance -- while she's asleep.

Interviews with her parents Rick and Kathy Hilton, sister Nicky and others such as Donald Trump and feminist Camille Paglia provide commentary on the most famous member of the family that founded the Hilton hotels chain.

Before Tuesday's screening began, Petty thanked Hilton, who was in the audience, for her "humour, wit, trust and taking me on the most incredible journey of my life."

Accompanied by her boyfriend, rocker Benji Madden of the band Good Charlotte, Hilton smiled. With only that gesture, a burst of camera flashes went off.

But when the lights came up after the 85-minute documentary, the pair scurried out a side door without waiting for the director's question-and-answer session that is common after public screenings at the Toronto film festival.

When Hilton emerged outside, festival volunteers linked hands to provide a human fence from fans jockeying to catch a glimpse her.

Not one to disappoint, Hilton did what she does best: stopping briefly, signing a few autographs, posing for cameras but not saying much. Then, she quickly faded into the Toronto night.