Go Inside The Paris Louvre After 4-Month Closure With Short Film ‘Rusted Caravaggios’

Take a trip inside historic Parisian art museum the Louvre as it re-opens following an unprecedented four-month closure with new short film Rusted Caravaggios, which comes from Egyptian-American filmmaker Sam Abbas.

Based in Paris during the lockdown, Abbas, whose credits include features Alia’s Birth and The Wedding, jumped at the opportunity to film inside the iconic venue when a rare opportunity presented itself at the re-opening, when minimal numbers of people were allowed back in the famously busy attraction, which houses artworks including the Mona Lisa.

It shutdown back in March due to France’s sweeping lockdown to curb the coronavirus spread.

“During the lockdown I began to study the work of Caravaggio. His art, his history, his philosophy, everything about him. After an unprecedented closure of the Louvre I was ecstatic to be able to attend the first public visit allowed,” said Abbas. “This is an experience I’ll never forget nor do I think will ever happen again. To be present in a nearly empty space that is usually mobbed with visitors from my understanding was very surreal. My first Louvre experience has been largely unique to say the least.”

The director is also working on his next feature project, which will be shot in Paris and is an observation on the different stages of Alzheimers.