France and Madagascar / 2004 / 102mins / Documentary / French and Malagasy

Mahaleo was born out of Madagascar's 1972 rebellion against its neo-colonial regime. For 30 years, their music has embodied the Malagasy peoples' struggle for pride and independence. Although internationally acclaimed, the members of the group continue to work in professions serving the Malagasy people - two are doctors, one an elected official, one a sociologist and another leads an NGO. It is the Mahaleo's daily contact with the joy and despair of their people, documented in this film, which doubtlessly accounts for the unprecedented popularity of their music.

Cesar Paes

Cesar Paes is a Brazilian documentary filmmaker born in Campos, Rio de Janeiro in 1955. He co-founded Laterit Productions, which focuses on culture from Madagascar, Brazil and many other countries in Africa. He has produced, directed and written a number of films with his wife Marie-Clémence Andriamonta-Paes. Some of these films include Angano...Angano... Tales from Madagascar, Songs and Tears of Nature, Awara Soup, Saudade do Futuro, and An Opera from the Indian Ocean, which have won top awards at Cinema du Réel, Festival dei Popoli and Leipzig Film Festival. The films have been released theatrically, and are available on DVD and VOD. His most recent film, Songs for Madagascar, shows how six famous Malagasy musicians raise awareness of the fragility of Madagascar's environment. As DOP, he has worked with Raoul Peck, Sandra Kogut, JH Meunier, Camille Mauduech, among others. Learn More

Raymond Rajaonarivelo

Raymond Rajaonarivelo was born in Antananarivo, Madagascar in 1949. He studied filmmaking at the University of Montpellier and at the University of Paris. After living on the outskirts of Paris for some time, he returned to Madagascar for filmmaking. After working as a director and cinematographer, Rajaonarivelo made two Malagasy short films . His debut feature film, Tabataba (1988), told the story of a village during the 1947 Malagasy Uprising. It was the first Malagasy film to be shown at the Cannes Film Festival, where it won the 1988 Audience Award. It also won the Jury award at the 1989 Taormina Film Fest, and first feature award at the 1989 Carthage Film Festival. His second film, When the Stars Meet the Sea, in 1996, fortified his position as a sensitive author, attentive to poetry and the mystical power of his native land. Learn More