Count the ways to love cinema at “Paris, je t’aime” screening

By REBECCA WELLS

“Paris, je t’aime” Starring: Natalie Portman, Willem Dafoe, Steve Buscemi Various directors… “Paris, je t’aime” Starring: Natalie Portman, Willem Dafoe, Steve Buscemi Various directors Tonight, 7 p.m. Alumni Hall Free with student I.D.

Pitt’s film studies program along with the Silver Eye Center for Photography has the rare opportunity to screen “Paris, je t’aime” (Paris, I love you) tonight at 7 p.m.

The film, which remains an enormous hit in France, represents stories of love from the heart of the world’s most romantic city.

“Paris, je t’aime” is a montage of five-minute shorts from 20 different directors including Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and the Coen Brothers. “Paris je t’aime” also features many well-known actors such as Natalie Portman, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Willem Dafoe and Marianne Faithful.

“Paris je t’aime” is fun, serious and sometimes silly in its attempt to capture the many ways in which love is represented in the cinema of such a legendary city. But the film is not simply a straightforward history lesson, as the perspectives of each director offer varying interpretations of on-screen love in Parisian culture.

While 20 separate vignettes comprise the film, each piece is linked to the project as a whole with a series of transitional segments. By allowing a single character to appear in each transition, a seemingly disconnected narrative is unified into a continuous point.

As it explores how love and life coincide with the magic of Paris, the film promises an experience as touching and serious as it is funny and entertaining. And, although most of the movie is in French with English subtitles, a number of segments appear exclusively in English.

The movie is a one-time event in Alumni Hall and free with a student I.D. Call (412) 431-1810 for more information.