Discoveries from Madagascar World Cinema

"The Return" deals with rural exodus, the return to the land, the antagonism between two worlds: that of urban dwellers and of the rural areas deeply rooted in tradition. Ranaivo lives in Antananarivo. To make ends meet, he sells ice lollies. his father, Ratovo, comes to the capital to ask for his son’s help. he needs money to organize the turning of the dead ceremony. After the village celebration, Ranaivo decides to leave the capital and emigrates to the highlands where everything is open to those who want to get back to the land.

Macbeth, the Thane of Glamis, receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders his king and takes the throne for himself.

In the remote Manambolomaty lakes region, a globally unique ecosystem is home to both the Sakalava indigenous people and the endangered Madagascar Fish eagle. Through close collaboration with the local community, the region has become a stunning success for conservation - even as the rest of Madagascar's nature suffers heavy losses.

The film traces the destiny of Kapila, an outcast child who had been deemed by his fellow villagers to have supernatural powers of destruction, because of the timing of his solar eclipse birth.

Somewhere on the African continent in a small fishing village cut off from the rest of the world, the lives of five people are caught in a web of violence and passion. Loosely based on Othello, an exploration of the bonds between the West and Africa and between appearance and reality.

Embark on a journey of discovery in Madagascar with Alexandre and Sonia Poussin, Philaé, 10 years old, and Ulysse, 7 years old, along with their quirky cart pulled by zebu. Their mission was multi-faceted: to produce a documentary series, raise funds for NGOs encountered along the way, open their children's eyes to the beauty but also the fragility of the island's endemic nature, and finally to live a life of long-term, joyful simplicity. Challenges of crossing, encounters, and lessons learned will always be present in this slow-paced alternative learning journey.

Marie, a healer in Antananarivo, the capital city of Madagascar, takes care of people in the name of the ancestors who guide and advise her. She uses plants and soil from worship places dedicated to historical ancestors. In the high central lands, on the summits of the Ankaratra mountains, she participates to the Alakaosy celebration, an important date in the Malagasy lunar calendar.

A tiny courtyard, life within the walls of the penitentiary... This is their daily life. But that cannot fully define them. These are also young people with dreams. "Outside", everything seems violent, chaotic and limitless…

Tabataba tells the story of a small Malagasy village during the independence uprising which took place in 1947 in the south of the country. For several months, part of the Malagasy population revolted against the French colonial army in a bloody struggle. The repression in villages that followed was terrible, leading to fires, arrests and torture. Women, children and the elderly were the indirect victims of the conflict and suffered particularly from famine and illness. One leader of the MDRM Malagasy Party, which campaigns for the independence of the country, arrives in a village. Solo (François Botozandry), the main character, is still too young to fight but he sees his brother and most of the men in his clan join up. His grandmother, Bakanga (Soavelo), knows what will happen, but Solo still hopes his elder brother will return a hero. After months of rumours, he sees instead the French army arrive to crush the rebellion.

Scoop Digital production focusing on the disco era.

A young woman works as a prison guard in a hopelessly overcrowded jail in central Madagascar. She passes the time daydreaming about her father, a murderer, who abandoned her as a child after killing his own brother. In her imagination, her father becomes a mythical killer, wandering the countryside and rolling enchanted dice to decide the fate of his victims. Secretly, she yearns for the day her father will turn up amongst the prisoners. When a new inmate arrives claiming to know her father, her fantasies begin to turn to nightmares.

Between a family feud that won't die and a wedding that’s been postponed yet again, Johary and Bakoly are at their breaking point. Little do they know, the chaos isn't accidental. With Landy pulling the strings of a workplace conspiracy, the couple’s dream is being dismantled from the inside out. Can their love survive a war on two fronts?

Reckless choices and cold indifference have pushed two families to the brink. While Emmanuel turns a blind eye to the crisis, Ralay’s secret hand is finally exposed as the source of the chaos. He has systematically destroyed the peace in the homes of the Pastor and Rajao. In this brutal war between parents, the children are the ones who are paying the ultimate price.

Fresh from his elite studies abroad, Johary returns to lead the local hospital, only to fall for the one woman he’s forbidden to love. As their families wage war in the fields and the wards, a series of hilarious misunderstandings pushes the couple to the breaking point. The truth eventually comes to light, but unmasking the real troublemaker is only the beginning of their problems.

Rejected at birth because they were deemed unfit, Faramalemy and Kotobekibo are condemned by their parents to certain death. Fleeing their village, they take refuge in Trimobe, an isolated place where they hope to find peace. But Trimobe hides a terrible secret: a cannibal reigns supreme. Starving and hunted, the two children must face horror to survive. Their escape will become a legend...or an endless nightmare.

When Malagasy soldiers came back from WWII, they expected De Gaulle to give them independence for fighting along with France against Nazis. Instead, they were asked to return to their indigenous status. They soon became the leaders of an uprising, harshly repressed by the French colonial authorities. The last witnesses tell us about their long months of resistance.

The village idiot who lives near the garbage isn't as stupid as he seems. He rummages through the trash and gathers his daily provisions. In addition to his supper, he gets his news from Malagasy newspapers, which he obtains by mugging a small street vendor. And there, famous politicians—African and Western—will get their comeuppance, quickly dismissed as mere "shit"!

Once upon a time, Ifara and Ikoto became orphans without any guardian. Ifara went to look for a husband but was met with Trimobe in the forest. Ikoto was the only one who could free her...

Haingo, a young single mother from Madagascar, struggles to pay the school fees of her six-year old daughter. A dance company proposes her a contract for a trial period. Haingo grabs this chance, leaves her family and moves to the capital city, Tananarive. She has only a few days to learn a choreography that is completely new to her.

Madagascar, nowadays. Kwame, 20, struggles to make a living in the clandestine sapphire mines. An unexpected event takes him back to his hometown. As he reunites with his mother and old friends, he finds himself confronted with the rampant corruption plaguing his country. He will have to choose between easy money and loyalty, between individualism and political awakening.

When there are no more basic necessities among the villagers of Ambalarano, coffee must be sold in Manambondro in order to be able to buy it. But because of the isolation of this small village, whoever goes there must walk for two days, loaded with several kilos of coffee, in order to bring back to the village all the commissions entrusted to him...

Some secrets are more dangerous than any weapon. As the truth about their families finally comes out, Johary and Bakoly’s lives are thrown into total chaos. With their future falling apart and Landy’s jealousy reaching a breaking point, a mysterious newcomer named Ralay steps into the light.

With Rajao out of prison and Landy back at it, the Randrenja family inheritance war has reached a breaking point. However, it is Fanja’s unexpected return that truly threatens the status quo. Now, a newcomer named Jao has appeared to challenge Rajao’s authority.

An unconventional stop motion animation portrait of Antananarivo, the Capital city of Madagascar, through the eyes of its inhabitants.

Rajao wouldn't stop until he and the Pastor reached France, even if it meant leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. But the reality of life abroad is not what he imagined it would be. Amidst the fallout, Marianne’s hidden agenda begins to surface. She is forced to make a choice between the love of a child and the allure of wealth.

Eleventh instalment of the franchise.

An exploration of Morengy, a traditional martial art from Madagascar whose survival is threatened in the contemporary world.

Andaboy is a sacred beach in southwestern Madagascar. The ancestors say the beach should be left untouched, as a shamanic musician sings in trance. The local fishermen are therefore deeply concerned when Australian company Base Toliara proposes building a harbor there, displacing 8,000 residents. The fishermen were already troubled by the Chinese trawlers that are decimating fish stocks, and now they fear an even greater invasion.

Third movie of the Play Boys franchise

Prisca and Nirina, two slightly crazy peasant girls, want to teach a lesson to Soa, a famous influencer and kidnap her to show her the realities of life.

The Malok’Ila Zeparsa movie, while introducing new faces, remains faithful to the original spirit of the series. Among those new characters, Rajao Junior, bringing a new dynamic to the story as a courageous orphan, aged around 12 years old. His character, true spiritual heir of Rajao, combines comedy and intelligence, positioning himself as the ideal sidekick of the protagonist. Through a touching narration of daily life, the tribulations of adolescence and family dynamics, the film transports us to varied settings, from Nosy Be to Ankadivoribe, from Antananarivo to Bongolava.

A story that tells what may happen to our universe. There are forces that live around us and beyond the universe. All the aspects of this movie come from God's Bible.

A boy peered out the window of his house. A passing bird caught his attention. When his friends called out to him, he smiled. Won the Best Animation Film at Rencontres du Film Court in 2010

Mahaleos voices and music have accompanied the people of Madagascar ever since the collapse of the colonial regime. Yet, even after 30 years of success, the groups seven musicians still keep their distance from the world of show-business, and remain deeply committed to helping their countrys development; their professions range from surgeon to farmer, physician to sociologist and member of parliament. Accompanied by the groups rhythmic melodies, the film follows the singers through their daily lives, giving us a glimpse of the far-reaching social and economic problems of the Malagasy people. The combined talents of the Brazilian, Cesar Paes, and the Malagasy, Raymond Rajaonarivelo, have produced a work that is both ethereal and concrete, poetic and political.

Fourteenth instalment of the franchise.

After these murders on campus, Julien hunts for the origin of the curse that has fallen upon him while trying to escape justice.

Does farmer Ly have dealings with the Chinese, who have recently been tampering with the infrastructure of the village of Sitabaomba, not far from the Malagasy capital of Antananarivo, director Nantenaina Lova asks as bluntly as mischievously. Ly denies it. However, it becomes increasingly clear in the course of “Where Zebus Speak French” that the various development measures, often introduced by foreign initiatives and fuelled by corrupted politicians, also affect him.

The Malagasy government discovers an unlikely revolutionary weapon, made of artisanal rum and water from Lake Anosy (the most polluted lake in the country) and decides to sell it to the highest bidder in order to improve the country's economy. By the greatest of coincidences, North Korea wins the auction, and the entire geopolitical balance of the world is upset. The incredible parody from the Red Island!

The Seminary is no refuge for doubt or melodrama; it is a crucible of devotion. Some dismiss Angele as a harmless dreamer; others write off Din as a passing shadow. But when belief is tested and loyalties fracture, where will your faith stand?

A father is trying to find his missing daughter with the help of his friends.

Inspired by a story dating from the royal era, Jalôko is a dramatic film mixing adventure and suspense. The hero of the film is nicknamed “Jalôko”, literally gigolo, a typical character living in the outlaw community. But with his big heart, he managed to seduce the king's only daughter, the princess. But nothing happened as easily as that for folk heroes. They had to overcome many obstacles.

Twelfth instalment of the franchise in which the main characters find themselves in a western-esque premise.

Portrays the far-from-average life of a Malagasy character in a humorous way, with suspense, fights, comedy, and adventures.

A group of ten youths interview each other about their life before the detention centre, and how it led to them spending years there, some of them from the ages of 14 to 20. They strive to shoot the documentary “the right way” and repeatedly ask the children playing outside to be quieter, adjust the frame and the focus, fix the camera, etc.

The story of Madagascar from 1895 to 1975: colonization, war, revolt, independence. Since the movie is a historical drama, the Malagasy government forced the director to modify the film so that it was in accordance with the Socialist Revolutionary ideas.

If some want to perpetuate colonization, Malagasy people must oppose a strong no, whoever the colonists are » . Thus spoke Felix Robson, deported during the anti-colonial insurrection of 1947.

One accidental uniform swap. Zero emergency training. Nary is the city’s newest and fakest Commandant. He’s got a borrowed badge on his chest, but as the web of lies tangles, he’s about to find out that "fake it until you make it" is a lot harder when things start exploding.

Benja has made his choice, but the shadows of the Seminary run deep. While the eccentric Nary Volomborona turns a house of God into a gateway for lovers and artists, suspicions on grandma grow: what is the true price of a forced marriage and what is being hidden in the silence?