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The city of love is loved back in Paris Je T’aime (Paris, I Love You), a film in the Café Europe programming segment at the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF). The omnibus production is an assembly of 18 short films by 20 acclaimed international filmmakers who were invited to tell a story about a romantic encounter in the most romantic city in the world.
Featuring a kaleidoscope of international stars, including Natalie Portman, Elijah Wood and Steve Buscemi, Paris, Je T’aime ventures into virtually every one of the city’s arrondissements, or districts, straying away from the picture postcard areas into the kind of unvisited quarter that provides, according to Portman, “the most exciting setting for a film---somewhere where people live their lives.”
Some of the world’s most acclaimed directors, including the Coen Brothers (O Brother, Where Art Thou, 2000), Gurinder Chadha (Bend it Like Beckham, 2002) and Gus Van Sant (Good Will Hunting, 1997) injected the movie with a wide variety of styles, genres and atmospheres to capture the diversity of lifestyles that prevail in the neighborhoods of Paris.
One segment to look out for is the Parc Monceau, directed by Alfonso Cuarón (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, 2004), that was shot in a single continuous take.
Going into its third year, the DIFF is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, and under the Chairmanship of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum. The DIFF is a not-for-profit cultural event, presented and organized by the Dubai Technology and Media Free Zone Authority.
DIFF showcases a wide selection of features, shorts and documentaries, from around the world, reflecting Dubai’s cosmopolitan and multi-cultural character. The festival further seeks to celebrate excellence in Arab and world cinema by screening a repertoire of critically acclaimed and award winning films.
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