With That Summer in Paris, her first feature film presented in the “Perspectives” section at the 2025 Berlinale, Valentine Cadic plunges viewers into the heart of Paris during the 2024 Olympic Games. Filmed in Paris Region, it captures the excitement in the capital during this global event, while exploring the challenges and opportunities that this context brings to a film production. This article looks back at how the project was organized, the technical decisions that were made, and the locations that were chosen thanks to a close collaboration with local stakeholders.
Key figures
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days of filming21
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Paris Region service providers4
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of post-production carried out in Paris Region100%
Synopsis
At the heart of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Blandine, aged 30, came from Normandy to watch the swimming competitions and to reconnect with a half-sister she had not seen for 10 years. Accustomed to peace and solitude, Blandine discovers a bustling city with codes she doesn't quite understand. As the days go by, she meets people, gets lost, hesitates, tries to (re)build relationships, and navigate her way through a Paris that's caught up in the fever of this extraordinary event...
To support this film production during these exceptional circumstances, the team was able to count on the support of Film Paris Region, particularly in finding locations and adapting to the specific constraints surrounding the Games. In order to gain insight into the artistic and logistical choices made, we spoke with the film's producers, Antoine Jouve from Cinq deTrèfle Production, and Arnaud Bruttin from Cinq de Trèfles, who look back at the project's practical organization and the solutions that were implemented on the ground.
What were the main challenges you faced during film production in Paris Region during the Olympic Games?
We first had to reassure our partners and employees about the project's feasibility. Indeed, rumors were circulating about a “ban” on film production in Paris during the Olympic Games. But we were in contact with the Paris Film Commission very early on, and they quickly confirmed that restrictions had been put in place, but that there was no total ban: we had to film with fairly small crews and avoid heavy equipment, we had to be self-sufficient in terms of vehicle parking, and certain areas were temporarily off-limits. So, we replaced the Jardin des Tuileries, which was originally planned in the script but couldn't be used because of the Olympics cauldron, with the Jardin des Buttes Chaumont. Film production restrictions affected certain arrondissements but not others: we couldn't film our actress under the Arc de Triomphe because we weren't allowed to set up the camera in the 8th arrondissement, but we could in the 17th. Finally, the easiest way for the technical and artistic teams to get around was to use public transportation, while the equipment was transported in a single small van with a capacity of 706 cubic feet.
The film production was organized in two stages: we filmed during the Olympic Games, when we wanted to adopt a documentary approach to the event. The more “traditional” part of the story was filmed after the Olympics and before the Paralympics.
How did the collaboration with local authorities and the OCOG (Olympic Games Organizing Committee) go in terms of obtaining the necessary permits?
Organizing the film production required contacting a large number of different people. Apart from the need to organize a film production during this event, there was also the question of what could be filmed and edited. For example, the Olympic flame and the Olympic cauldron were owned by the OCOG and therefore could not be used by third parties, including in our film.
Our first task was therefore to establish what could be filmed, particularly with the Olympic torch staff during the initial documentary film production. For images of Olympic properties, such as the torch lighting ceremony at the beginning of the film, we worked with representatives from the International Olympic Committee to purchase the rights to use competition footage that appears on TV in the film.
As for film production in Paris during the Olympic Games, we mainly dealt with the Film Commission and the Prefecture of Police. Since we were not filming directly at the competition venues, these film production permits were issued by the City of Paris and the police, not by the OCOG.
We were fortunate to be assisted by the CNOSF, which represented French teams and was in charge of the Fan Zones during the event. We obtained special film permits for the Grande Halle de la Villette, dressing rooms, and parking spaces, which allowed us to film unique scenes.
Which Olympic or Parisian locations did you choose to include in the story? Did you have to “recreate” certain Olympic venues for the film?
From the moment she began writing, Valentine Cadic had specific locations in mind that she wanted to film, such as the fan zones (Hôtel de Ville, La Villette), the banks of the Seine, the Arena La Défense, and the Arc de Triomphe. We knew from the early stages of development that we would not be able to film inside the competition venues. This was both a constraint and a source of comic inspiration when imagining Blandine's journey.
We were hoping to be able to film inside the Arena La Défense at night, when the venue was closed to the public, for the sequence where Blandine and Benjamin walk around and talk. Unfortunately, we didn't get the permission to film there. We therefore recreated this setting at the competition swimming pool in Taverny for the indoor scenes, and at the Charléty stadium for the outdoor scenes.
Did you work with any service providers from Paris Region for post-production or other stages of the project?
Post-production was carried out entirely by service providers based in Paris Region. The Atelier de post-production assisted us with managing rushes, film editing, sound editing, and post-synchronization, while also participating in the film's co-production.
Mixing was done at GoMedia, a company that's part of the same group as our international sales company, Urban Sales. For color grading and deliveries, we worked with Les Films du Périscope.
Ressource Guide
Find all the post-production service providers in Paris region in our resource guide.