Association initiatives to promote the cinema
A true cultural driving force, the Ciné musafiri association's mission is to promote cinema in Mayotte and throughout the Indian Ocean. Active for 10 years now, the association organizes open-air screenings in Bandrélé, inviting directors to talk about their films. Recent guests have included Laurent Pantaléon from Réunion and Wally Fall from Martinique.
In 2020, the Mayotte Film Office, in partnership with Ciné Musafiri, launched a call for applications for Mayotte's very first fiction writing residency. This opportunity is aimed at young local filmmakers and scriptwriters who have the desire to bring a short film project to fruition. The Mayotte Film Office also publishes pan-African and Afro-diasporic film news on its Facebook account.
A taste for debate
In addition to the meetings initiated by Ciné Musafiri, film-conference sessions are regularly organized on the initiative of certain schools, such as the Lycée Nord in Mamoudzou. These events are open to students, of course, but also to outside viewers. For students in the lycée's Cinema-Audiovisual section, this is obviously a great opportunity to exercise their eye.
Local players are keen to pass on a taste for cinema to young and old alike, through discussion and debate. For example, the CEMEA, a national movement committed to education, regularly organizes "ciné-débats" at Tsararano, on themes such as "Parenthood".
Films shot in Mayotte
When it comes to Mauritian productions, there are few films shown internationally. However, the film De l'amour sous la haine caused a sensation in 2018. The brainchild of Haitian-born Patrick Jean Exenat and Mayotte-born Daouidar Saidali, the film was selected for the New York African Diaspora International film festival. The story tells of a love affair between a white woman and a black man, and its complications.
The TV film Paradis amers, directed by Christian Faure and broadcast on France 2, was adapted from the book Tout doit disparaître by Mikaël Ollivier. It tells the story of a teenager from mainland France who, forced to follow his parents to Mayotte, discovers a whole new culture.
Mayotte, its mixed culture, paradisiacal landscapes and economic contradictions have inspired documentary filmmakers from mainland France. Mayotte hip hop (r)évolution (2016) is a beautiful film by Nadja Harek that looks at the island through the prism of dance as a means of inhabiting the territory. More recently, Laure Chatrefou's S'aimer à Mayotte takes a gentle look at the forms of love that exist on the island, where polygamy, though illegal, is still practiced.
Koungou, the local child
A first film completely made in Mayotte by local directors is a challenge met, unthinkable even a decade ago. Koungou, released in May 2024, tells the story of juvenile delinquency and tackles a number of themes that are prevalent in the lives of the people of Mayotte: domestic violence, the difficulties associated with poverty, the problem of addiction, all with a hopeful outlook that makes this a powerful and remarkable work.
