Politically-motivated cinema
Martinique is a West Indian island with a complex history, and it is to better understand it that some directors wanted to bring it to the screen. In the category of politically-motivated cinema, we can therefore quote La Montagne est verte by Jean Lehérissey (1950). This 35-minute documentary is a fascinating report on the abolition of slavery in the French West Indies. It relates in particular how the black slaves were the main actors of their fate and their history. In 1983, the film La Rue case-nègres, by local director Euzhan Palcy, was noticed and first rewarded with a Silver Lion (in 1983) in Venice, then a César for best first work (in 1984). The film, based on a novel, tells the story of a black child whose grandmother and teacher encourage to study in the agricultural Martinique of the early 1930s. In 2004, Martinican director Guy Deslauriers produced Biguine, a feature film set in the late 19th century in which a couple of musicians abandon the plantation where they work to move to the cultural city of Saint-Pierre. Wishing to make a living from their passion, they soon realize that their plantation folk music is rejected in favor of Western music. In 2009, the same director produced the movie Aliker. This film highlights the true story of André Aliker, a Martinican communist activist who headed the party press office and did not hesitate to expose several scandals, even at great cost.
Martinique as a movie set
An island with varied landscapes, Martinique is also used as a set for the shooting of entire movies or a few scenes. In 1971, it is in Martinique that the survivors of the thriller Laisse aller… c'est une valse by Georges Lautner share their booty. The landscapes are shown in Promotion canapé, the famous French comedy directed by Didier Kaminka and released in 1990. In 1999, the remake of The Thomas Crown Affair was set in Saint-Pierre, but also on the airport of Fort-de-France. Let's also mention 30° Couleur, directed in 2012 by Lucien Jean-Baptiste and Philippe Larue. This lively movie features a renowned historian who, though he has forgotten his Martinican roots since his arrival in Metropolitan France, rushes back to the island with his daughter at carnival time to see his dying mother.
Movie festivals
Martinique hosts several film events, such as the International Documentary Film Festival of Martinique, which takes place in April in several towns and plunges the public into the heart of Martinique's history and struggles(www.revoltesdelhistoire.fr); the CinéMartinique Festival is held in October at the Tropiques Atrium Scène Nationale and allows the public to experience cinema in all its diversity(www.tropiques-atrium.fr)
