The nomination of the Paris banlieue movie Les Misérables for best foreign-language feature at the Oscars has been hailed as a historic moment – the first time a black film director has represented France at the Academy Awards, and for a low-budget drama about the topical issue of police violence, reports The Guardian.
The film – which won universal critical acclaim and box-office success in France – is the first full-length feature by Ladj Ly, who grew up and still lives in Montfermeil in Seine-Saint-Denis at the heart of the high-rise estates that saw the worst of the urban rioting in 2005 after the death of two young boys hiding from police.
Ly said he hoped the film’s Oscar nomination would inspire young people in France to follow their dreams. “If I win the Oscar, I’ll use that platform,” he told Agence France-Presse. “My film is politically engaged and ultimately concerns all countries.”
Les Misérables is based on a real-life event in 2008 when Ly, who had taken to documenting his neighbourhood with a camera, recorded footage of police violence. The film, which is in turns funny and tragic, tells the story of a police officer who joins a patrol on high-rise estates, where a young teenager is violently arrested.
Police are regularly accused of using excessive force in poorer neighbourhoods, particularly against black and minority ethnic young men. High-profile cases continue include that of Adama Traoré, a young man who died in police custody in 2016 after being subject to restraint, and a another called Theo who sustained serious injuries after being stopped by police in one of the Parisian banlieues in 2017, which led to nights of clashes between young people and police.
The film’s nomination comes amid a growing clamour over police violence in France – from the injuries at anti-government gilets jaunes demonstrations to deaths after arrests. The president himself, Emmanuel Macron, on Tuesday called for new measures to improve police ethics and controls.