Ladj Ly’s ‘Les Indésirables’ will have its world premiere at TIFF
This year’s Toronto International Film Festival continues to take shape. Today, the festival announced the world premiere of Ladj Ly’s ‘Les Indésirables’, which also offers film buffs a glimpse into the first international title announced from this year’s slate.
It won’t be Ly’s first TIFF appearance: the French director had already screened his “Les Misérables” at the 2019 festival. That film received the Jury Prize at Cannes, was nominated for a Palme d’Or at Cannes and several César awards, and finally earned an Oscar nomination for Best International Film.
According to today’s announcement, the festival promises that “Ly continues to push artistic boundaries, providing audiences with an inspiring cinematic experience.” “We are honored to once again showcase Ladj Ly’s remarkable talent with the world premiere of his latest work, ‘Les Indésirables’,” said Cameron Bailey, CEO, TIFF in an official statement. “This deeply personal film beautifully captures the struggles and aspirations of a community, reflecting Ly’s unparalleled storytelling skills.”
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According to the official festival synopsis: The film is “set in the suburbs on the outskirts of Paris” and “is a timely tale of revolution, beautifully capturing a pivotal moment in history. ‘Les Indésirables’ stars Alexis Manenti, Jeanne Balibar, Steve Tientcheu, Anta Diaw and Aristote Luyindula. After the sudden death of the mayor of a city, Pierre (Manenti), an idealistic young doctor, is assigned to replace him. He intends to continue the policy of his predecessor, who dreamed of rehabilitating this popular neighbourhood. Haby (Diaw), a young French woman of Malian origin who lives in one of the dilapidated buildings, refuses to see her family expelled from the neighborhood where she grew up.
Maneti previously starred in Ly’s “Les Misérables” and won a Cesar Award for Best New Actor for his performance.
When the movie was first announced last December, Variety reported it “The two-handed film will tell the story of the young woman’s emancipation and will explore the turmoil of a French suburb whose inhabitants are threatened by plans for gentrification. While the film will have a political backdrop, the producers have said it will be more novel than Ly’s debut film, and will follow complex characters ‘who are neither good nor bad.’
The film will be on sale at the festival.
As previously announced, this year’s festival will also host the world premiere of Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’. More announcements will come in the coming weeks. This year’s festival takes place from 7 to 17 September.