Gagarine follows Yuri, 16, who 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”.Yuri is played by Alseni
Bathily who is making his terrific acting debut, Lyna Khoudri and Jamil
McCraven round out the main cast as his two confidants.
Written and directed by Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh, the film draws
real life inspiration from the Gagarin Towers in Ivry-sur-Seine, France and
their demolition in 2019. The film premiered at Cannes Film Festival in
2020 where it was included in the First Features selection and received
critical acclaim. It was later shortlisted as one of France’s official
Oscar foreign language film entries. The film is produced by Julie Billy
and Carole Scott
