Viewing Urban Renewal with Magical Realism

"Gagarine, a film celebrating the importance of our attachment to place by first-time directors Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, is unlike any movie you've seen — or will see again," writes DUSP's Ezra Glenn for Planning Magazine. "It blends humor and sadness, history and futurism, fact and fiction, to create a rich admixture of whimsical longing and magical realism."

Shot on the cusp of the actual demolition of the housing projects depicted in the film and in collaboration with those actual residents, Gagarine "builds on what is to help us imagine what could have been."

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Gagarine was an official selection at Cannes and has been shown in festivals around the globe. It is available to rent or buy via Apple TV, Amazon, Google Play, Vudo, and many other online streaming sites, as well as Mubi and other curated festival platforms. The film is based on a 15-minute short from 2015, which features interviews with residents and historical footage from the 1960s opening of Cité Gagarine.