The Pantheon of Joy

A 28-year-old African woman dreams of becoming a model. In the meantime, she works as a hairdresser to save money for a modelling course.

Djibril, nicknamed Djib, is a 13 year old black teenager, a rebel of the 90s, who lives with his grandmother in Asnières. He has a strange philosophy that he has posted above his bed: "A black person must never let himself be called the n-word by someone other than a black person, it's the worst insult". He is in love with Joséphine, an "Arab-Gauloise fatou" and decides to offer her a dream vacation.

Paris. Belleville quarter. Mama Aloko has to put up with her broken fridge, the cause of all her woes. She will come up with the one thousand francs to buy a new fridge to prevent the Health Dept from shutting down her restaurant.

In Paris, Lulu, a passionate policeman, works with the faith of a rookie, despite the sclerotic bureaucracy and the incompetence or negligence of some of his colleagues. In his new position as a narcotics inspector, he tries to keep his sanity as he witnesses the worst of the human condition.

Two friends, one a musician the other constantly depressed wander around Greece and France till they get to Paris without a penny to their name. Here they spend nights in the underground, and squat in houses with the African immigrants. One day they both fall in love with Mathilde a blond dancer and follow her to New York.

A young peasant, Boubacar, owner of a corn field, wants to break free of his wretched existence and has an idea for a new job. He sells his field and uses the money to buy a broken-down old Peugeot 504 from an European couple. Boubacar wants to try his hand at being a bush taxi driver. But very soon, he sees that his dream cannot become reality : the engine of the old jalopy dies on him. Boubacar is ruined. His wife is forced into prostitution in the corn fields to meet the family's needs. But Boubacar is a resourceful, philosophical man. He strips the car down and uses the engine of the 504 as a barbecue to sell grilled corn in the streets. His hopes of being rich are renewed.