A lua platz

“On the outskirts of Paris, in a rapidly-changing suburb, a group of Romanian families are searching for a place to live. From their abandoned village, to the demolished slum and occupied houses, their quest weaves together a common history, forged through solidarity and marked by displacement. As we accompany them on their journey, we make this film together as an alternative living space.”

Jérémy Gravayat

“I began writing in 2010 and scouted for locations around 2013, when the friends of the Abominable [a shared laboratory specialised in filmmaking on conventional film] settled in their new premises in La Courneuve. At the time, I wanted to make a film as a journey through the history of the suburbs, seen through the prism of issues of housing for the poorest. I have often made films in activist settings, but without mixing activism with the actual filmmaking process… We would go to a slum where Romanian and sometimes Roma families lived, a Platz, as they call it. Our friendships and militant relationships lasted for years. We gathered numerous documents from various archive holdings and the material became so dense that we decided to publish a journal, several thousand copies of which were distributed free of charge. The journal’s historical inquiry was enriched by their words. As it was being distributed, the town hall announced that they were going to demolish the Platz. A collective was organised to prevent this and come up with long-term solutions, but in vain, as in August 2015 everyone was thrown out onto the street. By that time, I had written the scenario of the film and the Romanians had only a peripheral role. But over the following year, we plunged into a collective combat to find solutions to rehouse them, mainly by setting up squats with these families.”

Jérémy Gravayat (interview with Joffrey Speno, Images de la culture, CNC, 20 July 2020)