Desniansky Raion

Desniansky Raion is a suburb of Kyiv, a forest of tower blocks which, filmed from above, recalls the circle of Stonehenge. In the film Cyprien Gaillard shows the decay of contemporary architecture, modern ruins returning to nature as rubble. Three geographically distant places follow one another in the film. A clash between two gangs on the outskirts of Saint Petersburg is followed by a play of lights celebrating the imminent demolition of a building in the Parisian banlieue of Meaux. In the third scene the camera flies over the outskirts of Kyiv. The film is a composition of original footage and ready-made archive images. The soundtrack, created by Koudlam, is a key element that generates a collision of references and cultures: compositions by Philip Glass, rave music and Vangelis’s synthesiser from the Blade Runner soundtrack follow one another.