He raised a development fund, and took his first steps in the industry, collaborating with directors such as Peter Del Monte, Ermanno Olmi, Djibril Diop Mambety, Mira Nair, Liv Ullmann, Fernando Spiner, Im Kwon-taek ou Mikheil Kobakhidze.
In April 2000, the development of the film Paris, je t'aime began with a simple idea: 20 arrondissements, 20 directors, 20 love encounters.
Benbihy, along with co-executive producer Gilles Caussade determined a production timeline for the project, and little by little put together the principal elements needed for its development and production: narrative development, artistic and technical specifications, material to approach directors and talents, contracts, consistent marketing strategy and international approach to film financing.
Directors such as the Coen brothers, Alexander Payne, Gus Van Sant, Alfonso Cuaron, Wes Craven, Walter Salles, Tom Tykwer, and actors such as Elijah Wood, Juliette Binoche, Willem Dafoe, Natalie Portman, Nick Nolte, Gena Rowlands, Gérard Depardieu participated in this film.
Paris, je t'aime was the opportunity to give some of the first lead roles on screen to Olga Kurylenko, Leïla Bekhti and Aïssa Maïga, and to produce the first short film of the Coen brothers.
Directors of the segments include Jiang Wen, Mira Nair, Shunji Iwai, Yvan Attal, Brett Ratner, Allen Hughes, Shekhar Kapur, Natalie Portman, Fatih Akın, Joshua Marston and Randy Balsmeyer.
The film stars Bradley Cooper, Justin Bartha, Andy García, Hayden Christensen, Rachel Bilson, Natalie Portman, Irrfan Khan, Emilie Ohana, Orlando Bloom, Christina Ricci, Maggie Q, Ethan Hawke, Anton Yelchin, James Caan, Olivia Thirlby, Blake Lively, Drea de Matteo, Julie Christie, John Hurt, Shia LaBeouf, Uğur Yücel, Taylor Geare, Carlos Acosta, Jacinda Barrett, Shu Qi, Burt Young, Chris Cooper, Robin Wright Penn, Eva Amurri, Eli Wallach and Cloris Leachman.
[3] New York, I Love You was the opportunity that gave Bradley Cooper's first lead role on screen, and also produced the first short films directed by Natalie Portman and Scarlett Johansson.
The opening and closing sequences, plus the transitions were directed by Brazilian Vicente Amorim, while musician Gilberto Gil composed the theme song.
Directors of the segment include Dianna Agron, Peter Chelsom, Fernando Eimbcke, Justin Franklin, Dennis Gansel, Dani Levy, Daniel Lwowski, Josef Rusnak, Til Schweiger, Massy Tadjedin and Gabriela Tscherniak.
The film stars, among others, Helen Mirren, Keira Knightley, Mickey Rourke, Diego Luna, Jim Sturgess, Dianna Agron, Rafaëlle Cohen, Jenna Dewan, Toni Garrn, Sibel Kekilli, Hannelore Elsner, Robert Stadlober and Luke Wilson.