The Shape of Paris Short Film is a Love Letter to Skateboarding and the City

Paris is already one of the world’s most photogenic cities. In The Shape of Paris, it also becomes a sprawling skate park.

A panoramic view of Paris rooftops with the Eiffel Tower prominently featured in the background, overlaid with the text 'The Shape of Paris'. — The city is alive and buzzing during the filming

A person wearing a helmet and a denim jacket skating on a skateboard in front of a historic building. — Andy Anderson in Paris

The short film follows Canadian skateboarder Andy Anderson as he glides, spins, and balances his way across the city, turning curbs, chains, plazas, and bits of forgotten pavement into improvised skate features.

Anderson’s style is famously unconventional, blending old-school freestyle tricks with modern street skating in a way that feels playful, precise, and a little bit balletic.

A pedestrian walking past an art stall featuring various paintings on display. Two artists are seen working in the background. — Street vendors and art along the river

Behind the camera is filmmaker Brett Novak, whose skate films often feel more like short art pieces than traditional trick compilations.

Here, Paris glows in warm summer light, captured with smooth camera work and pristine color grading that makes the whole city look impossibly crisp.

A skateboarder wearing a helmet and a denim jacket performs tricks on a skateboard in a park, while two individuals sit in a rickshaw nearby. — Casually jumping over a bike taxi

A small but delightful detail appears in the credits: “trick acknowledgements,” listing the specific moves featured in the film. It’s a charming touch, and possibly the first skate video to credit its tricks like a movie.