Toni
Collette was to make her directorial debut with Sydney Unplugged.
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Maria Lewis, The Daily Telegraph, reports
Russell Crowe and Toni Collette were to direct segments in it, but now a film about Sydney is getting sued for copyright infringement.
The film - Sydney Unplugged - was supposed to be an ode to the city of Sydney and consist of a series of short films directed by A-list names such as Crowe, Collette, Naomi Watts' partner Live Schreiber and Anthony LaPaglia.
But French producer Emmanuel Benbihy is suing the production - headed by Tropfest founder John Polson and producer Gary Hamilton - claiming copyright infringement on his Cities Of Love franchise.
Benbihy's franchise is best known for the films Paris, Je'Taime and New York, I Love You, which he claims Sydney Unplugged is trying to copy.
"I can’t believe that people with such film experience have decided to illustrate the image of a wonderful city with so little concern for their actions and such an unethical manner," he said in a press release.
"They will be embarrassing a lot of people including Australian film institutions and sponsors."
The Marseille Court of Justice issued a court order for a number of documents relating to Polson's project to be seized.
Benbihy's franchise has extended to several other countries around the world with tie-ins Shanghai (I Love You), Jerusalem (I Love You) and Rio (Eu the Amo).
Producer Gary Hamilton of Archlight Films told Film Business Asia that there was "no story" to Benbihy's claims.
"Our film is entirely different from the I Love You series of films," he said.
"It has nothing to do with the cities of love, but instead is a vibrant story of one of the world's great cities, showcasing Australia's leading talent over one year and four seasons in Sydney.
"Does Emmanuel (Benbihy) have copyright over any film with a multiple-story line set in a city? I would be interested to know what exactly Emmanuel (Benbihy) is claiming copyright over."
Several big-name Australian directors were also attached to Sydney Unplugged, including Alex Proyas (The Crow), David Michod (Animal Kingdom), Ivan Sen (Toomelah), Ray Lawrence (Lantana), John Curran (The Painted Veil), Kieran Darcy-Smith (Wish You Were Here) and Rachel Ward (Beautiful Kate).
Benbihy said he was taking legal action now because Archlight were selling the film at Cannes.
Filming on the project was scheduled to begin in Sydney later this year.
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