Roy Parras

Roy Parras was born and raised in Goa, the smallest state on the west coast of India. At the age of 7, he was enrolled in a Catholic boarding school run by Franciscan priests. One day he was busted in a high-pitched altercation on the school playground by a priest who got him to join the school choir. Roy excelled at the choir, and this led to him being cast in several musicals and plays that were staged at the school. This fomented his interest in the arts. Roy was also an avid reader, and by the age of 13, he had read every book he was permitted to read for his age at the school's library. The librarian finally let him read a copy of Mario Puzo's The Godfather. This was Roy's introduction to contemporary American literature. In high school, he and some friends rented a VHS copy of Taxi Driver, the American classic, directed by Martin Scorsese and watched it on his parent's newly arrived television set and VCR. This film changed Roy's taste in movies, and he began seeking out character driven movies at the local video store. In 2003, Roy moved to California and became an actor with minor roles in short films, music videos, student projects and independent films. Frustrated with the kinds of roles he was being cast in, he temporarily quit as an actor. 'Ricky goes to Hollywood' is his first film in six years. He wrote, edited, produced, directed and acted in the titular role of the film. The film was an official selection at the New York City International film festival, the Stepping Stone International film festival, and the 15 Minutes of Fame international film festival and had its world premiere at New York City's Times Square in front of thousands of people. Roy was also profiled in the "In Reel Life" segment of Goa's leading newspaper 'O Heraldo' in November 2011. He has led discussions on realism in film at the Goa Chitra museum of Goan Ethnography and at the Carmel College for Girls in Nuvem, Goa, after a screening of his film.