Ariane sur le fil
Roy Lekus
2001 - 53 min - Vidéo - Couleur - France

How does one transform peri-urbain ghettos into lively, attractive neighbourhoods ? What can one build in the stead of high-rise housing as it is demolished ? Les Mureaux, a suburban town along the Seine 30 kilometres from Paris, attempted to tackle these questions ten years ago. The Mayor put a team in charge of reconnecting the outlying ghetto neighbourhoods to the old town center through the creation of pedestrian walkway.
The film follows the lively, persuasive sculptor Françoise Jolivet as she struggles to convince sceptical, indifferent inhabitants of the validity of her ambitious project and attempts to get them to participate. Even city hall abandons her. But little by little, as the first sections of the promenade are built, the very people who said they didn't deserve something so beautiful begin to stroll along it. A first step in changing the poor reputation of these neighbourhoods ?