Back to browse
63% Critic Match
La banlieue, c’est le paradis
6.3 / 10• 2025• 1h 29m•NR• French
DocumentaryHistory
Storyline
In the 1960s, the suburbs were meant to be modern havens for newcomers from rural France, Portugal, Spain, North Africa, and Africa, helping rebuild post-war France. Large housing complexes symbolized this ideal, offering comfort, heating, and electricity. But by the 1980s, disillusionment set in as economic crisis, unemployment, poverty, crime, racism, and police violence took hold. Mohamed Bouhafsi tells the story of a dream that didn’t last.
Cast & Crew
Mohamed Bouhafsi
Self - Host, Interviewer & Narrator
Lead
Nassira Bouhafsi
Self - Guest
Farida Khelfa
Self - Guest
Fabien Roussel
Self - Guest
Sofiane Zermani
Self - Guest
Emmanuel Macron
Self - Guest
Akhenaton
Self - Guest
Sabrina Ouazani
Self - Guest
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Nathalie Conscience's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
3.0
“Every frame feels alive. La banlieue, c’est le paradis is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
