One of the most anticipated movies of the fall, New York, I Love You is made up of several short films revolving around the elusive concept of love. The movie is the second in a planned series called “Cities of Love”—the first being the 2006 international hit, Paris je ta’ime.

Just before the movie’s release on October 16, MM spoke with the series’ hands-on producer, Emmanuel Benbihy.

MM: New York, I Love You, like Paris, je t’aime, gathers together an eclectic group of international moviemakers-from Fatih Akin to Wen Jiang to Mira Nair to Brett Ratner. How does the pre-production process work on an anthology like this? Do writers pitch you story ideas, and then directors come aboard, or do you seek out directors/screenwriters you think would be interesting for the film?

EB: It begins with the story or the idea generated by the director. We begin a project only when it is fully financed. That way we can approach the creative talent with a firm commitment and an extremely attractive opportunity for creative carte blanche. Once they have formulated a concept and they present it to us as a pitch, they have the freedom to bring in the writer, DP, editor and on-camera talent for their segments. The only prerequisites are that they work within the overall subject matter for the film: A love story.

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