On December 28th, 1895, cinema was given its official characteristics by the Lumière brothers in Paris. If for over a century, the “Seventh Art” has been an essential element and a vehicle for French culture, the city of Paris has epitomized the evolution and contradictions of the French cinema industry. Focusing on the main tendencies in contemporary French cinema, we will ask the following questions: How do the French filmmakers depict the city of Lights, the City of Love, the City of Horror? How decisive a representation of Paris and its suburbs can be? Why do the images of Paris illustrate the history of French cinema? What do they show about French culture?