Are omnibus movies about different cities wearing themselves thin? “Paris, je ta’ime” had its moments and was a novel idea with a cutesy title, but since then we’ve had the insufferable “New York, I Love You” and the uneven “Tokyo!” And unfortunately, it seems producers in cities around the world are now looking to boost their profile by taking on the same format.
Paramyth Films is launching “Athens, My City,” perhaps looking to put a positive spin on Greece’s unfortunate current state? We’re sure the film will be more about the love of Greece than dissection of its current economic woes as twelve directors are set to each tackle three- to ten-minute-long shorts about the city, with shooting to begin this fall. This hails from the producers of “Tbilisi, My City,” which was announced back at the start of the month with Malcolm McDowell set to star, with the film focusing on the republic of Georgia.
The concept appears to be officially played out, with previously reported omnibus odes to Sydney, Havana, Jerusalem, Rio, and Shanghai all announced or on the way in one form or another. Given that the hit-to-miss ratio on these mixed bag movies tends to be more "miss" than "hit" and the cities and talent featured are getting more random (seriously, Macolm McDowell will show to up any project as long as there's a catering table), maybe it's time to give this concept a rest.