Thank you, Paris, and thank you, France

I lost everything — and yet, Paris kept me standing...

1. When everything collapsed

The Cat-filmmaker alone in his empty shop in Paris

One day, everything stopped at once.

My company was gone,
my bearings too.

I thought I had lost everything —
I did not yet know
that a silent system
was watching over me,
here, in Paris.

2. The silent system that lifts me back up

Invisible hands supporting the Cat-filmmaker, symbolising French social support

These are not visible heroes,
but safety nets, social schemes,
people I may never meet.

Quietly, Paris and France
prevented my total fall
and helped me back up.

3. Covid and the promise

The Cat-filmmaker ill in bed, looking at the city of Paris through the window

Feverish, alone,
Ten thousand kilometres from my hometown,
confined to bed with Covid,
I rewatch the film of my life:
years of travelling across Europe,
a few fleeting successes…

Then, from one day to the next, nothing.
In that silence,
I understand:
Paris had never left me.

I made a promise:
if I recover, I will be useful — in Paris.

4. The trainings that gave birth to a unique fraternal project

The Cat-filmmaker surrounded by training certificates and computers

The French state financed my trainings.
That helping hand did more
than change my daily life:

it allowed a unique fraternal project,
“Paris T’Aime”, to be born.

The diplomas became
the pieces of the vessel:

  • E-commerce project manager (2020)
  • Web designer (2022)
  • Community manager (2024)

5. The kindness-witness pilgrimage

The Cat-filmmaker filming a kind gesture in a Paris street

To thank Paris,
I began my pilgrimage of kindness.

Camera in hand,
I glean invisible acts of goodness,
smiles,
filmed proofs of fraternity,
street after street.

There, I discovered some
of the most beautiful images of human beings.

6. Birth of the Paris T’Aime ecosystem

Diagram of the different parts of the Paris T’Aime ecosystem around the Cat-filmmaker

Little by little, these images
came together into a living ecosystem.

A human and social cinema
celebrating 240 years of Fraternity,
carrying a single name: “Paris T’Aime”.

  • the living film “Paris T’Aime”;
  • the endless serials of Paris’s 80 neighbourhoods;
  • the Paris T’Aime Label — a medal of fraternity;
  • the participatory platform “Compose My Paris”;
  • a solidarity e-commerce “Made in Paris with Heart”.

7. The engine found at Paris 8

The Cat-filmmaker at Paris 8 University, standing in front of the words “cinéma utile et dynamique”

At Paris 8,
I find the engine of the vessel:
useful and dynamic cinema.

There I understand that these images
are not just a film,
but a living dispositif.

I register the PARIS T’AIME trademark
to honour and protect
this fraternal project.

8. Oppositions falling from the sky

The Cat-filmmaker facing the oppositions surrounding the PARIS T’AIME trademark

On the very last day
of the official publication of the PARIS T’AIME trademark,
two oppositions fall from the sky.

On one side, I keep filming
ignored proofs of fraternity.
On the other, the right to use this name
for a social project is challenged.

A legal battle begins,
but the camera
does not stop.

9. Suspense: Does Paris love you?

The Cat-filmmaker in a suspenseful atmosphere, facing the question “Does Paris love you?”

Between 2026 and 2029,
on the streets of Paris,
each shoot becomes
a trial of love.

Shopkeepers, passers-by, residents,
tourists just passing through:
each one leaves a trace of fraternity.

On paristaime.com,
the world discovers another Paris,
discreet and fraternal.

One question returns,
like a refrain:
“Does Paris love you?”

10. A modern fable up to 2029 and beyond

The Cat-filmmaker looking at Paris in 2029 with the words “Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité” in the background

This is where the real story begins.

From 2019 to 2029,
a modern fable unfolds
in the streets of Paris
to prove that fraternity still exists —
and that Paris remains the world capital
of fraternity, 240 years after 1789.

But 2029 is not an ending.
It is a passing of the torch.

After that date,
the images, the filmed proofs
and the Paris T’Aime ecosystem
remain alive,
so that others can go on
growing fraternity.

Les dispositifs au service des Parisiens et des visiteurs

Hôpitaux, transports, écoles, culture, propreté, secours, services sociaux… Paris a mis en place des milliers de dispositifs pour que la ville tienne debout, chaque jour.

Les femmes et les hommes qui y travaillent sont rémunérés, mais la manière dont ils accueillent, renseignent ou protègent reste un choix humain. Paris T’Aime veut aussi leur dire merci.

Travail & Métiers. Artisans, commerçants, travailleurs — visages du courage à Paris.

Paris vit par ses professionnels : artisans, commerces, métiers du quotidien.

Je filme ces mains qui travaillent — preuves de dignité et de fraternité.

Voici quelques scènes de vie professionnelle, à hauteur d’humain.

Aide sociale & mobilité. Infos utiles, transports, démarches — pour avancer à Paris.

Parce qu’à Paris, se déplacer et s’orienter change la vie.

Entre entraide, services publics et gestes simples — des chemins se rouvrent.

Quelques repères filmés, à hauteur d’humain.

Formation & travail. Se former, trouver sa voie — construire un avenir digne.

Apprendre, se reconvertir, commencer : chaque pas compte.

Le travail devient juste quand il respecte l’humain et l’aide à grandir.

Des portraits filmés qui donnent courage.

Paris 8. Étudier le cinéma, confirmer une méthode — le moteur intérieur.

Avant Paris 8, la méthode vivait déjà dans la rue.

À Paris 8, en étudiant les grands, je l’ai confirmée et nommée : cinéma utile et dynamique.

Le film continue dans la vraie vie — c’est son enjeu.

Paris T’aime – promo

The Living Film — multi-version, useful and dynamic

A classic film freezes roles and settings. Paris T’aime frees them: one story, many lives — filmed as proof.

The same story can be replayed by different people, in different places — reality continues the film.

In front of the camera, each person shows the best of themselves. The image becomes a model that invites us to live as in the film we act.

Useful and dynamic cinema: film → act → recognize → replay. A scene can be replayed to make it more fraternal.

« These filmed gestures do not stop at the screen. They continue their journey, from hand to hand. Thus was born a shared light: the Paris T’Aime ecosystem. »
Paris Old Time

Paris Old Time

The Secretary of Paris T’aime.

Watch

Paris Old Time

The Secretary of Paris T’aime.

Watch

The Serials — the neighborhoods of Paris

The living episodes of Paris — each neighborhood writes its own chapter.

Each filmed proof gives birth to an endless story.

In each of the 80 neighborhoods, the film continues: new smiles, new gestures, the same heart.

Together, these stories form the infinite serials of fraternity — the living rhythm of useful and dynamic cinema.

La Carte vivante des 80 quartiers

Chaque point bleu est une preuve filmée de fraternité.

80 Neighborhoods & Their Inhabitants

A sensitive tour of Paris, neighborhood by neighborhood: each card is the beginning of a living serial.

01 – Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois

Historic center by the Seine, between churches, museums and remarkable urban architecture, at the gates of the Louvre and the river.

Saint-Germain-l'Auxerrois

02 – Halles

A lively district of shopping and transport, famous for its large forum and its very animated atmosphere, day and night.

Halles

03 – Palais-Royal

Elegant gardens and arcades, theaters and galleries: a discreet setting where art and architecture gently answer each other.

Palais-Royal

04 – Place Vendôme

Townhouses and fine jewelry shops arranged around a perfect square: a symbol of Parisian elegance.

Place Vendôme

05 – Gaillon

Small classical streets, corner cafés and local life: here, Paris tells its story in a low voice.

Gaillon

06 – Vivienne

Covered passages, bookshops and timeless boutiques: a chic walk, sheltered from the noise of the city.

Vivienne

07 – Mail

The smallest official neighborhood in Paris, wedged behind big arteries. A tiny village of stone and silence.

Mail

08 – Bonne-Nouvelle

A crossroads of stories, cinemas and night spots: a neighborhood that keeps the lights on late.

Bonne-Nouvelle

09 – Arts-et-Métiers

Between museums, workshops and schools, a neighborhood where invention and creativity have always had their place.

Arts-et-Métiers

10 – Enfants-Rouges

An old covered market turned world canteen: you eat close together but together, in a joyful and colorful jumble.

Enfants-Rouges

11 – Archives

Quiet streets, old facades, courtyards and discreet hotels: at the heart of the Marais, a memory that continues to live.

Archives

12 – Sainte-Avoye

Classical charm, lively cafés and everyday shops: a Marais of daily life, inhabited by those who really live there.

Sainte-Avoye

13 – Saint-Merri

Just behind Beaubourg and the Centre Pompidou, an artistic neighborhood where the street often becomes a stage.

Saint-Merri

14 – Saint-Gervais

Old streets, synagogues and townhouses: a neighborhood of traditions, families and discreet prayers.

Saint-Gervais

15 – Arsenal

Between Bastille and the Arsenal basin, walks, houseboats and benches watching the water go by.

Arsenal

16 – Notre-Dame

Around the cathedral and the Île de la Cité, the spiritual heart of Paris beats between stone and river.

Notre-Dame

17 – Saint-Victor

A studious Left Bank, between universities, old streets and slopes descending towards the Seine and the Île Saint-Louis.

Saint-Victor

18 – Jardin-des-Plantes

A neighborhood of gardens, museums and hospitals: nature, knowledge and care share the same streets.

Jardin-des-Plantes

19 – Val-de-Grâce

Convents, hospitals and schools: a quiet quarter where stone buildings shelter lives turned towards others.

Val-de-Grâce

20 – Sorbonne

Historic Latin Quarter with universities, bookshops and student cafés: a Paris of debates, lectures and late-night revising.

Sorbonne

21 – Monnaie

Along the Seine, between bookstalls, bridges and old houses: an elegant and literary slice of the Left Bank.

Monnaie

22 – Odéon

Theaters, cinemas and cafés at the corner of the Luxembourg Gardens: a neighborhood where people talk, argue and reinvent the world.

Odéon

23 – Notre-Dame-des-Champs

Residential streets, artists’ studios and schools: a calm, creative and family-friendly corner of the 6th.

Notre-Dame-des-Champs

24 – Saint-Germain-des-Prés

Bookshops, cafés and galleries: from post-war legends to today’s walkers, a neighborhood that lives on its conversations.

Saint-Germain-des-Prés

25 – Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin

Ministries, museums and hidden courtyards: a very institutional and very secret Left Bank.

Saint-Thomas-d'Aquin

26 – Invalides

Wide esplanades, the dome of the Invalides and military museums: a place of ceremonies, memory and parades.

Invalides

27 – École Militaire

Around the Champ-de-Mars and the military school, a mix of barracks, schools, offices and residential streets.

École Militaire

28 – Gros-Caillou

At the foot of the Eiffel Tower, shops, neighborhood cafés and everyday life under the iron silhouette.

Gros-Caillou

29 – Champs-Élysées

The most famous avenue in Paris, between luxury boutiques, offices, cinemas and tourist crowds.

Champs-Élysées

30 – Faubourg-du-Roule

Behind the avenues, offices, apartments and small streets that remind you people really do live here.

Faubourg-du-Roule

31 – Madeleine

Church, department stores and grand boulevards: a meeting point between shopping, offices and monuments.

Madeleine

32 – Europe

A quiet, residential neighborhood of Haussmann buildings, small squares and wide, crossing boulevards.

Europe

33 – Saint-Georges

Old theaters, stair-stepped streets and townhouses: a romantic and theatrical corner of the 9th arrondissement.

Saint-Georges

34 – Chaussée-d'Antin

Between department stores and office buildings, an area of shops, crowds and fast-paced everyday life.

Chaussée-d'Antin

35 – Faubourg-Montmartre

Press, theaters and cafés: a neighborhood of stages and editorial offices, always half in daylight, half backstage.

Faubourg-Montmartre

36 – Rochechouart

On the slopes of Montmartre, a mix of concert halls, small hotels and everyday streets climbing toward the hill.

Rochechouart

37 – Saint-Vincent-de-Paul

Around the Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est, flows of travelers, bistros and fast-changing streets.

Saint-Vincent-de-Paul

38 – Porte-Saint-Denis

Historic gates, busy boulevards and cosmopolitan side streets: a neighborhood of passage and nightlife.

Porte-Saint-Denis

39 – Porte-Saint-Martin

Historic gateway between neighborhoods. A lively, multicultural area.

Porte-Saint-Martin

40 – Hôpital-Saint-Louis

Famous hospital, canals, and city gardens. Peaceful and full of authentic Parisian life.

Hôpital-Saint-Louis

41 – Folie-Méricourt

Courtyards, workshops and small streets between Boulevard Richard-Lenoir and Belleville: a village in motion.

Folie-Méricourt

42 – Saint-Ambroise

Between République and Nation, a busy neighborhood of cafés, associations and everyday activism.

Saint-Ambroise

43 – Roquette

Bars, venues and small streets around Père-Lachaise: a neighborhood of nights out, marches and memories.

Roquette

44 – Sainte-Marguerite

A modest, residential 11th, with schools, courtyards and everyday shops around tree-lined squares.

Sainte-Marguerite

45 – Bel-Air

Between Picpus and the Bois de Vincennes, a residential neighborhood of schools, gardens and calm streets.

Bel-Air

46 – Picpus

Hospitals, schools and quiet courtyards: a family-oriented, modest part of eastern Paris.

Picpus

47 – Bercy

Along the Seine, between the park, the arena and the ministry: a new district of offices, culture and open spaces.

Bercy

48 – Quinze-Vingts

Around the Gare de Lyon and hospitals, a crossroads of trains, commuters and care services.

Quinze-Vingts

49 – Salpêtrière

A hospital city inside the city, with housing blocks and large avenues that carry thousands of lives every day.

Salpêtrière

50 – Gare

To the south-east, rail lines, workshops and new developments: a district that is still being transformed.

Gare

51 – Maison-Blanche

A popular and mixed area, with avenues, small streets and everyday life between Chinatown and the périphérique.

Maison-Blanche

52 – Croulebarbe

On the edge of the 13th, between old factories, residential blocks and small parks tucked between buildings.

Croulebarbe

53 – Montparnasse

Station, tower, cinemas and cafés: a historic crossroads for artists and travelers of Paris.

Montparnasse

54 – Parc-de-Montsouris

Around the large park, student residences and houses: a green, airy neighborhood at the edge of Paris.

Parc-de-Montsouris

55 – Petit-Montrouge

Small buildings, shops and quiet streets: a residential 14th with a soft, neighborhood atmosphere.

Petit-Montrouge

56 – Plaisance

Former working-class area becoming more family-oriented, with courtyards, social housing and a strong everyday life.

Plaisance

57 – Saint-Lambert

Around the Parc des Expositions, a very residential 15th, between large avenues and quieter side streets.

Saint-Lambert

58 – Necker

Hospitals, schools and the Montparnasse station: a neighborhood where care, travel and work meet.

Necker

59 – Grenelle

Along the Seine and the high-rises, a landscape of footbridges, shops and towers facing the river.

Grenelle

60 – Javel

In the south-west of Paris, former factories converted into offices and studios, renovated quays and wide views of the Eiffel Tower.

Javel

61 – Auteuil

An old village absorbed by Paris, with houses, stadiums and quiet streets: a place of sports and poetry.

Auteuil

62 – Muette

Around Trocadéro and the Bois de Boulogne, embassies, museums and residential avenues share the same postcard views.

Muette

63 – Porte-Dauphine

Between the Bois de Boulogne, universities and wide avenues, a district of calm corners and long perspectives.

Porte-Dauphine

64 – Chaillot

Facing the Eiffel Tower, theaters, museums and spectacular squares: a balcony over the Seine.

Chaillot

65 – Ternes

Big boulevards, covered markets and small residential streets: a lively but very lived-in neighborhood.

Ternes

66 – Plaine-de-Monceau

Townhouses, wide tree-lined avenues and quiet streets: a classic elegance, almost out of time.

Plaine-de-Monceau

67 – Batignolles

Parks, cafés and small squares: a creative, bohemian neighborhood, much loved by its inhabitants.

Batignolles

68 – Épinettes

A neighborhood in transformation, but still with a village feel, between workshops, families and new venues.

Épinettes

69 – Grandes-Carrières

Below Montmartre, former quarries turned into artist studios, stepped streets and unexpected views.

Grandes-Carrières

70 – Clignancourt

At the gates of the 18th, flea markets, second-hand stalls and a mix of cultures from all over.

Clignancourt

71 – Goutte-d'Or

Markets, music and scents from around the world: a vibrant, direct and creative district in northern Paris.

Goutte-d'Or

72 – Chapelle

Between tracks, markets and new housing blocks, a district of passages, mixing and rapid change.

Chapelle

73 – Villette

Around Parc de la Villette, culture, science and music: a vast cultural playground.

Villette

74 – Pont-de-Flandre

Along the canal, new architecture, walkways and parks: a piece of the city busy reinventing itself.

Pont-de-Flandre

75 – Amérique

Hills, former quarries and big views: a greener, more residential and family-oriented 19th arrondissement.

Amérique

76 – Combat

Near the Buttes-Chaumont, markets, neighborhood bars and youth inventing its own habits.

Combat

77 – Belleville

Street art, world cuisines and social struggles: a neighborhood of artists, families and movements.

Belleville

78 – Saint-Fargeau

Village spirit, gentle slopes and small calm streets: a discreet but very alive Paris.

Saint-Fargeau

79 – Père-Lachaise

A world-famous cemetery, schools and housing: a neighborhood of memory, trees and everyday life.

Père-Lachaise

80 – Charonne

A former working-class suburb with a village center: lanes, cafés, hidden courtyards and a lot of soul.

Charonne
Paris T’aime – promo

Un nouveau chapitre de Paris T’aime.

Voir le teaser

Un nouveau chapitre de Paris T’aime.

Voir le teaser

The Paris T’Aime Label — proofs of fraternity

When kindness is shown, it deserves recognition: a medal, not a ticket.

Every act of kindness filmed deserves to be recognized and passed on.

The Paris T’Aime Label is not a celebrity award, but a medal of humanity.

It attests to simple acts of fraternity captured in the streets of Paris.

Compose My Paris — take part in the living film

An open platform to publish, assemble, and replay Parisian moments. From ‘I’ to ‘We’, your vision expands the story.

When everyone can appear and share, cinema becomes life itself.

Publish a proof, join a shoot, adopt your neighborhood.

En quelques clics, tu peux créer ta page « My Paris », la partager, et continuer le film dans la vraie vie.

Ouvrir Compose My Paris

Made in Paris — With Heart

Creators, artisans, cafés, bookshops: the living economy of Parisian kindness.

Filmed proofs of know-how and small shops that keep Paris human.

Each purchase is a gesture, each gesture a culture in motion.

From the love of neighborhoods to the welcome of the world: a local, fair, and warm ecosystem.

1789 – 2029 — 240 Years of Fraternity

A personal homage, wherever fraternity lives.

From the Declaration of 1789 to today, Paris keeps the idea of fraternity alive.

Each generation must reinvent it — not with words, but with gestures.

“Paris T’Aime” films these gestures to preserve the living memory of fraternity.

240 years later, the promise of the Revolution shines again in the streets of Paris.

It’s not nostalgia — it’s continuity, filmed with truth.

The 1000 Days of Fraternity — to 2029

A symbolic countdown toward 240 years of Fraternity. Read more

Each day until 2029, Paris T’Aime films proof that fraternity still exists. 1000 days to connect hearts and make every gesture a living trace.

Goal: July 14, 2029 July 14, 2029
1228 Days remaining (until July 14, 2029)
“Fraternity is the hope of humanity.”

“Fraternity is the hope of our future.”

🌍 Paris T’Aime — A Human Creation for the World

A useful and dynamic cinema: every filmed gesture becomes a lived gesture.

Paris T’Aime was born in the streets of Paris, from a promise made in silence: "if I survive, I will be useful, in Paris."

It is not a film that observes the world — it is a cinema that acts within it. Every gesture filmed becomes a gesture lived.

This is the vision of the Fraternal Cinema — a useful and dynamic cinema where each image repairs a piece of the human link.

Through the eyes of one filmmaker, Paris becomes the heart of a universal experience: proving that fraternity still exists, and that beauty is beautiful only when it helps.

Paris T’Aime is not just a film. It is a living creation — a human promise shared with the world.

Closure — Paris T’Aime

Anecdote — The Trial of Names: a modern fable on clarity and fraternity.

1. L'épreuve des noms

Paris 8 - Le moteur du projet

Un jour, deux institutions ont contesté le nom « Paris T’Aime ».
Elles disaient qu’il ressemblait trop à « Paris je t’aime » ou « Paris vous aime ».
Ce n’était pas un obstacle, mais un message de Paris : garder l’amour clair, humble et humain.

2. La Fraternité en marche

Paris T'Aime - La preuve par l'image

J’ai souri. Ces trois phrases — je / tu / vous — sont notre manière de vivre ensemble.
Paris T’Aime est né pour prouver : Paris t’aime, pour de vrai.
La fraternité existe toujours.

3. 2029 et après

La fable moderne continue

C'est ici que la fable devient réalité.
Les preuves filmées et l'écosystème restent vivants,
pour que d'autres continuent à faire grandir la fraternité.

Thank You, Humanity

A filmed fraternity — proof that the human heart still responds.

I began by thanking a city. I ended up thanking strangers — in many languages, through countless discreet gestures.

Cinema becomes a bridge: from street to hearts, from one hand to another.

The more technology advances, the more fraternity becomes the hope of our future. We film it humbly, so that it may live.

Because fraternity is not a concept, but a living movement.

🎞️ Director’s Statement

The Useful and Dynamic Cinema

« I film the soul, the spirit, and the heart of Paris.
It is not a film about Paris.
It is Paris filming the world, through one man. »

— Li Yongxin,
Read the full statement

1) A necessity born from reality The useful and dynamic cinema was born in the streets, from human gestures and gratitude. It does not aim to observe, but to accompany. It is useful because it helps, and dynamic because it continues after the projection.

2) The method To film → To act → To acknowledge → To replay. Each film becomes a social act, each spectator a relay, each neighborhood a workshop of light. It is a horizontal cinema — one that walks at human height.

3) The extended heritage From Chaplin (active emotion) to neorealism (reconstructed truth), from Varda (tender gleaning) to Marker (living memory), Paris T’Aime continues these gestures to repair the social bond.

4) The answer for the 21st century In the age of disposable images, it restores to the 7th art its original purpose: to serve humanity. It is not a film about Paris; it is Paris filming the world, through one man.

A simple proof: cinema can still love, connect, and heal.

Signature

Une promesse simple : filmer pour relier.

Je signe ce film comme un geste de gratitude.

Qu’il porte une lumière utile, patiente et fraternelle.

— Réalisation

“Paris is not a city, it’s a world.”
— King Francis I

In every corner of the street, there is a story that deserves to be seen.

Compose Your Paris

Select your favorite neighborhoods, languages, and themes.
Create and share your own Paris T’aime page!

Paris T’aime – promo
Paris Old Time

Paris Old Time

The Secretary of Paris T’aime.

Watch

Paris Old Time

The Secretary of Paris T’aime.

Watch