Ladj Ly’s ‘Les Indesirables’ Set for World Premiere at Toronto Film Festival

Ladj Ly, whose debut feature Les Miserables won the Jury Prize in Cannes and became a box office hit in France, is bringing his follow-up feature Les Indesirables to the Toronto International Film Festival for a world premiere.

The French filmmaker will return to Toronto with Les Indésirables after his debut feature, Les Misérables, had a North American premiere at TIFF in 2019, received the Jury Prize at Cannes and earned an Oscar nomination for best international feature at the 2020 Oscars, where it lost out to Parasite.

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Ly skipped Cannes with Les Indésirables and Venice was also under consideration for a world premiere ahead of a Nov. 22 commercial release. Set in the suburbs of Paris, Les Indésirables stars Alexis Manenti, Jeanne Balibar, Steve Tientcheu, Anta Diaw, and Aristote Luyindula.

After the sudden death of a town’s mayor, Pierre (Manenti), an idealistic young doctor, is appointed to replace him. He intends to continue the policy of his predecessor, who dreamed of rehabilitating the working-class neighbourhood. Haby (Diaw), a young French woman of Malian origin living in one of the dilapidated tower blocks, refuses to see her family driven out of the neighborhood where she grew up.

“This deeply personal film beautifully captures the struggles and aspirations of a community, reflecting Ly’s unparalleled storytelling skills,” Cameron Bailey, Toronto Fest CEO, said of Ly’s film, which Goodfellas will shop at TIFF as a sales titles.

Les Misérables, Ly’s gritty update of Victor Hugo’s classic account of poverty and revolt in 19th century France, was set in Montfermeil and portrayed a neighborhood rampant with crime, police violence and public unrest. The film became a box office success in France, where it earned around $11 million for Universal Pictures International in the territory.

The Toronto Film Festival is set to run from Sept. 7 to 17, with additional lineup announcements to come in the upcoming weeks.

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