Paris was the scene of 988 film shoots in 2012, 5% more than in 2011, the emergence of the advertising business and short film industries offsetting a decline in feature films and fictions, as was announced by the French capital’s mayor Bertrand Delanoë today (read his blog here–in French)

These 988 films represent 3307 days of filming. In 2011, Paris had served as backdrop for 940 films, which corresponds to 3707 days of shooting.

French and foreign filmmakers have trained their camera on the capital, people like Claire Denis, Michel Gondry, Pierre Salvadori and Bertrand Tavernier all paying tribute to the city of light.

France’s serious commitment to the seventh art coupled with the opening of Jean-Luc Besson’s La Cité du Cinéma in 2012 in Paris make this country a world player in film production on a par with Hollywood.

FROM FRANCE WITH LOVE: In May we’ll bring you the news and the reviews from the 66th Cannes Festival (May 15-26).