Discoveries from French Guiana World Cinema

Ninja is famous around the world for her fierce ballroom performances, but she is not as well-known in her native country of French Guyana. But a trip home to teach a workshop might change that.

Djokan is a modern martial art created in 2010 in French Guiana and inspired by traditional warrior cultures and Native American dances. The djokan is a complete martial art, as it combines techniques of fighting with bare hands or with weapons, techniques of relaxation and meditation for personal development.

Melrick is an unruly young boy who spends his summer in French Guiana at his grandmother's house to escape his turbulent daily life in Stains, France. At the end of his stay, he plays the drum to revive the memory of his late uncle, Lucas Diomar, who died in tragic circumstances. Despite a wave of murders of young men shaking the headlines, Melrick becomes aware of his place in a family destroyed by irreparable grief.

Five years ago, Hélène Huby founded The Exploration Company—a startup based in Planegg near Munich that builds space capsules for space stations and is giving Elon Musk’s SpaceX a run for its money. Portrait of an extraordinary entrepreneur who proves that cooperation and humanity go further than power play.

A young woman confronts her religious mother. A biker explores the night with a group of rebel dykes in Rio. A rapper in French Guiana comes to terms with her roots. Five young women reflect on life at a luxury spa in the French mountains.

Thirteen-year-old Lovena, an undocumented immigrant of Haitian descent, has just been crowned chess champion in French Guyana. Her next rival will travel to Brazil to challenge her at a match. The preparation of this duel and unexpected events will drive her into a corner.

The Amazon rainforest of Guyana, not far from the mythical Tumuc Humac mountains, remains mysterious. The ancients evoke paintings left on the rock, but the way to get there seems forgotten. In 1995, François Susky, who piloted his Cessna 185, flew over the Mamilihpan. Fascinated by this inselbergh, he decided to set up with three Amerindians from Antecume Pata the first expedition in this “forbidden” zone by prefectural decree.

After years of serving in the army and drifting across the Amazon, Loeti yearns to go back to his land, to find his roots, and be amongst his people, the Aluku, the first Maroons of French Guiana and Suriname. One night, due to a crackdown on illegal gold mining, Loeti is forced to flee the site where he is working. Lost in the Amazon forest, he must use what is left of his childhood knowledge of the forest, to find his way back and combat the many deadly perils that lurk with every step. He is guided by the spirits, the animals, a compass, and his prayers. An intense reunion confronts Loeti with a changing world where old traditions and values are both challenged and influenced by the invading modern world. Loeti must deal with his past and grapple with what remains of the Aluku's ancient African customs by immersing himself in their magical world.

A little girl goes to the grocery store to buy bread, but forgets to lock her bike...

The piece centers on Jean-Baptiste’s cousin Lucas, who was brutally murdered ten years ago at the age of 18, while at a birthday party in Cayenne, French Guiana.

Nou Voix is an autobiographical video departing from the participation of Maxime’s father, as a Guyanese figurant in the movie Jean Galmot aventurier (1990), which deals with the history of French Guiana. By re-enacting a part of the film, Maxime and his father try to amplify other kinds of voices.