Surviving a demolition

Forty years of demolitions have shattered communities in the Paris suburbs, forcing their residents to witness, again and again, their homes reduced to dust. As a new building is about to disappear, its inhabitants ask themselves a fundamental question: what does it mean to lose one’s home?

La Cité des 4000 in La Courneuve has endured relentless demolitions, erasing housing and dismantling a vibrant working-class community. As the last building is soon to be destroyed, the voices of current residents, intertwined with recently unearthed archival footage from the first demolition, explore what it means to lose one’s home. Through intimate narratives and a self-reflexive gaze, the film raises a crucial question: how can memory be preserved in the face of erasure and systemic neglect?

short documentary by

Pauline Blanchet & Django Burdeau

currently in production

release date: 2026

Pitches:

Dok Leipzig Short n’Sweet, Octobre 2023

Ji.hlava IDFF New Visions Market, Octobre 2024