`Mixing Nia'. Written and directed by Alison Swan. Principal cast Karyn Parsons, Isaiah Washington and Eric Thal. 93 minutes. Next showing tonight at 6.45 p.m. at the Little Theatre.

Bermudian Alison Swan has done Bermuda proud with `Mixing Nia', a film about a young girl of mixed race trying to establish her own identity.

`Mixing Nia' premiered on Sunday evening to a packed audience at the Liberty Theatre.

The premise of `Mixing Nia', written and directed by Swan, was refreshing.

Bi-racialism is a subject not often discussed in mainstream movies. There is nothing of Bermuda in this New York-based film, except this basic idea.

The 1991 Census indicated that the number of four year olds of mixed race was double that of 10 to 14 years olds indicating an upward trend in interracial relationships.

In a series of articles written in the Royal Gazette . reporter Pat Calnan found it extremely difficult to get couples in interracial marriages to discuss the issue. Hopefully, `Mixing Nia' will get people openly talking.

The film itself was made with a great deal of creativity. `Mixing Nia' opens with a little girl watching a polar bear in a tank.

Everything is bathed in blue light giving an aquatic feeling of security. This shot is continued at the end when Nia says this is the last time she is with her parents before they divorce.

The story begins as Nia (Karyn Parsons of `Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' fame), quits her job as a copy writer in a mid-town advertising agency to take some time off to write a novel.

While searching for an original topic for her book, Nia attends an African-American writer's workshop.

There she meets Lewis (Isaiah Washington of `Crooklyn' and `Clockers') an impassioned young associate professor of African-American studies. Together, they embark on a heated romance which introduces Nia to a new approach to life.

Conflict erupts when Lewis tries to get Nia to disown her white heritage and embrace a black experience that has never truly been her own.

Tugging her in the opposite direction is her Caucasian boyfriend Matt, a former colleague performed by Eric Thal of `A Stranger Among Us' and `Sex and Longing'. The idea is that Matt doesn't understand her quest for "blackness''.

However, the conflict with Matt wasn't strong enough. He just seemed like a nice guy who was a bit wishy-washy. The character of Lewis is drawn with bold, sure lines, whereas Matt is rather vague.

The dialogue in `Mixing Nia' is a little slow in places, as most introspective identity-crisis movies are, but there are some fabulous lines.

For instance, the audience experienced a certain satisfaction when Nia finally stood up to Lewis and asserted herself. "You're segregating my books,'' she shouts at Lewis one morning. "My books have gotten along just fine up to now.'' Another crowning moment of self-assertion comes when she breaks up with Lewis.

"You just can't handle dating a brother,'' he tells her. She tells him to can it, because she looked in his photo album and noticed he only dated light-skin women.

One viewer commented: "It is nice to see real female characters who are not cardboard. This is not a black film, or a chick flick, it is a film about people. It actually dealt with themes and issues that are applicable to everyone.'' `Mixing Nia' marks Alison Swan's feature film debut. She worked with former Bermuda resident Robert Stigwood, producer of such films as `Grease' and `Saturday Night Fever' to assist on the development of `Evita'.

She was appointed vice president of development of Mr. Stigwood's production company, RSO Films in Los Angeles. While there she wrote a television movie called `Visions of Freedom'.

JESSIE MONIZ Alison Swan Graphic file name: ALSIWAN CULTURE CLASH -- Nia (Karyn Parsons) and Lewis (Isaiah Washington) in `Mixing Nia'.