Watch the beautifully absurd political comedy Wonders in the Suburbs online and join us for a virtual discussion with the film’s director and star, the acclaimed French actress Jeanne Balibar.
Wonders in the Suburbs
US Premiere
Tuesday, June 30–Monday, July 6, 2020
Stream on Kino Marquee
Dir. Jeanne Balibar, 2019, 109 min
With Jeanne Balibar, Ramzy Bedia, Emmanuelle Béart, Mathieu Amalric
In French with English subtitles
Official Selection: Locarno International Film Festival
As the new mayor of Montfermeil—an underprivileged municipality on the outskirts of Paris—Emmanuelle Joly has great expectations. However, two of her staffers, Joëlle and Kamel have just culminated their long separation with a finalized divorce. As the mayor starts implementing her quirky campaign promises—naps for all, rooftop farms, sexual assistance in the home, harmonization of breathing—political rivals start sabotaging her enthusiastic plans, while Joëlle and Kamel’s bickering further disrupt the administration and threaten this year’s Brioche Day.
“Jeanne Balibar invented a beautifully absurd comedy, served by a cohort of talented actors, from Mathieu Amalric to Marlène Saldana.” — Le Monde
Conversation with Jeanne Balibar
Thursday, July 2 at 5pm ET
LIVE on Zoom and Facebook
César Award-winning actress Jeanne Balibar has been lauded for her wide range of roles on screen and stage. Wonders in the Suburbs is her second feature film as director.
In a LIVE virtual conversation with film critic Nicholas Elliott, Balibar will discuss her storied career and will speak about her experience directing and starring in Wonders in the Suburbs.

Jeanne Balibar
César Award-winning French actress Jeanne Balibar has been lauded for her wide range of roles on screen and stage, and her unique voice.
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Balibar has worked with many renowned directors including Arnaud Desplechin, Bruno Podalydès, Laurence Ferreira Barbosa, Olivier Assayas, Jean-Claude Biette, Mathieu Amalric, Guillaume Nicloux, Christophe Honore, Maïwenn, Diane Kurys, Benoît Jacquot, Raoul Ruiz, Jacques Rivette, Michael Winterbottom, Jean-Paul Civeyrac, Olivier Dahan, and lately Pawel Pawlikowski.
She received the 2018 César Award for Best Actress for her performance in Mathieu Amalric’s Barbara.
She made her directorial debut with Par exemple, Electre (2013), which she co-directed with Pierre Léon. Her second feature film as director, Wonders in the Suburbs (2019), was an official selection at the prestigious Locarno International Film Festival.
In 2018, FIAF celebrated Balibar’s incredible body of work with the CinéSalon film series Brilliant Quirky: Jeanne Balibar on Film and the world premiere of her solo theater work Les Historiennes.
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Nicholas Elliott
A long-time American correspondent for Cahiers du Cinéma in New York, Nicholas Elliott’s writings on film have appeared in Film Comment and The Criterion Collection. He is also a programmer for the Locarno Film Festival, where Wonders in the Suburbs was an official selection.