Paris, je t’aime is a collection of five minute films by some wonderful directors and writers from around the world.  Each five minute segment is based in a particular Parisian arrondissement.  Each filmmaker worked independently to create, through the collection of these short films, an overview of life in Paris.

But what is it like for a filmmaker, who is used to having two hours to tell a story, to do it in just five minutes?  Gena Rowlands, who wrote and appeared in the segment, “Quartier Latin,” said, “When it was suggested to me, I thought this was impossible.  You can’t do all this and connect them.”  A bit later she related that when she was first told the concept, “I thought this guy is not working on his front burner.... And so I said ‘Let me get back to you.’” But on hearing of others involved, such as Gérard Depardieu, she knew it was legitimate.

A measure of the challenge of making a story in such a short scene is evident during the interview when Rowlands spends more time answering one question—describing all that is going on in the characters in “Quartier Latin”—than the running time of the segment itself.

Richard LaGravenese wrote and directed the “Pigalle” vignette.  When asked about the difference making a short rather than a feature, he answered: “It’s fast and it’s immediate gratification.  It’s not long and drawn out.  It’s fun just because there’s not as much at risk.  It’s more a creative exercise than it is a life-defining experience.”

When asked if doing a short film was less challenging, LaGravenese said, “No, because it’s challenging creatively.  Moving making is challenging creatively, but [it’s] also a lot of other things that you have to deal with that have nothing to do with the creative [aspect].  That got all swept away.  Then you just had the creative challenge which was so rewarding and such a relief.”

Wes Craven wrote and directed the segment “Père-Lachaise.”  When asked what it was like to be doing a short, he replied, “I kind of looked at it as a scene.  The tricky part is to get the whole story of these two people into the one five-minute [scene], which was one of the strictures.  That was tough.  There were things I had to take out and so forth.  But it’s like a haiku or something that invokes a certain discipline that can lead to good things.”

Most people don’t get much chance to see short films.  Paris, je t’aime may be a chance for people to see the way a great deal can be condensed into a brief period of time.  It takes skill to tell a story so quickly.  In Paris, je t’aime some very good filmmakers give that a try.