Gagarine - English subtitled
Magical-realist drama about an introverted sixteen-year-old boy who tries to stop the demolition of the Cité Gagarine housing block in Paris.
Yuri, 16, has lived all his life in Gagarine Towers, a vast red brick housing project on the outskirts of Paris. From the heights of his apartment, he dreams of becoming an astronaut. But when plans to demolish his community’s home are leaked, Yuri joins the resistance. With his friends Diana and Houssam, he embarks on a mission to save Gagarine, transforming the estate into his own ‘starship’ before it disappears into space forever.
GAGARINE was shot on the cusp of the actual demolition of the Cité Gagarine housing project in collaboration with its residents in Ivry-sur-Seine.
Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh, France, 2020, 96 min. French spoken, English subtitles.
With Alseni Bathily, Lyna Khoudri, Jamil McCraven, Finnegan Oldfield, Farida Rahouadj, Denis Lavant.