Mad 47

Angano... Angano... Tales from Madagascar

March 1989 •French

Venerable storytellers recount for the camera and their listeners the founding myths of Malagasy culture.

Bienvenue à Madagascar

March 2017 •French

Through my window-camera, during urban adventures, views of Algiers, where, as a child, after Algerian Independence, I learned about liberty, and which some decades later after immigrating against my will and deliberately becoming an exile, I chose as my city. I was then a "wife of the Republic of Madagascar," as the left-hand side page of my passport noted, while the right-hand side declared "of the ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary." Disembodied, words off-screen, intervening one over the other, simultaneous encounters of polyphonic voices glide.

Tabataba

February 1989 •Malagasy

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.

Lemurs of Madagascar

January 2006 •English

Charlotte Uhlenbroek travels to Madagascar to follow the story of three mother ring-tailed lemurs struggling to survive one of the driest and hottest seasons in decades. One lemur has already lost her baby, the other two have a fight on their hands if their infants are to stand a chance, and matters are made even worse when neighbouring lemur tribes invade the mothers' territories.

The Return

January 1974 •Malagasy

"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.

Madagascar: The Lost Makay

January 2011 •English

Come and join a group of French scientists on an unprecedented expedition to the most remote region of Madagascar. Discover the lost, breathtakingly beautiful region of Makay.

Domboeza

September 2024 •French

Madagascar: Legends of Lemur Island

Invalid date •English

Millions of years ago, hundreds of castaway creatures crash-landed on Madagascar's rugged shores. Isolated from the mainland, evolution went into overdrive. Of almost a quarter of a million species found on the island, approximately 70 percent are unique. This myriad of bizarre life forms had a huge impact on the early human settlers - one particular group of primates shaped their culture, fuelling folklore and legend that still guides their lives today.

Ivohiboro, la forêt oubliée

October 2024 •French

The Enchanted Island Madagascar: The Living Edens

January 1998 •English

Travel to the mysterious island that time forgot -- the island of Madagascar. Nestled in the tranquil waters of the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, Madagascar is an enchanting paradise where for eons nature has been left undisturbed. As you explore this pristine refuge, you'll discover a variety of dazzling plants and animals unique to Madagascar, because it evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. You'll soar over forested mountains, expansive plateaus and lush green rain-forests, encountering delightful leaping lemurs, colorful chameleons, exotic lizards, graceful ibis and breathtakingly beautiful butterflies -- did you know that there are over 3,200 species of butterflies on the island of Madagascar and, of those, over 2,900 can be seen only here? Witness close-up this primeval world's deepest secrets and closely guarded marvels and feel the power of this impressive island as never before.

Attenborough and the Giant Egg

March 2011 •English

David Attenborough returns to the island of Madagascar on a very personal quest. In 1960 he visited the island to film one of his first ever wildlife series, Zoo Quest. Whilst he was there, he acquired a giant egg. It was the egg of an extinct bird known as the 'elephant bird' - the largest bird that ever lived. It has been one of his most treasured possessions ever since. Fifty years older, he now returns to the island to find out more about this amazing creature and to see how the island has changed. Could the elephant bird's fate provide lessons that may help protect Madagascar's remaining wildlife? Using Zoo Quest archive and specially shot location footage, this film follows David as he revisits scenes from his youth and meets people at the front line of wildlife protection. On his return, scientists at Oxford University are able to reveal for the first time how old David's egg actually is - and what that might tell us about the legendary elephant bird.

The True Story of Pirates

December 2022 •French

Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Colorful Islands: Madagascar and Seychelles

January 1935 •English

A Technicolor travelogue of the islands in the Indian Ocean east of Africa.

Alaotra: Endangered Treasures of Madagascar

May 2017 •English

This is a film about the people living in the Alaotra region in Madagascar, and about the changes in their social and natural environments. This is also a film about the Bandro, the Alaotra gentle lemur (Hapalemur alaotrensis), that can survive only in the marshes surrounding the lake, and that is facing extinction due to these changes. This is also a film about research; on how to tackle complexity and grasp change. The AlaReLa (Alaotra Resilience Landscape) project aims to understand the various livelihood strategies of people like farmers or fishers, who use the lake, the marshes, and the land surrounding the lake to produce food and charcoal and other sources of energy. Follow us to some of Madagascar's hidden places - far away from the touristic centers - to find out what can happen when modern times seep slowly into traditional ways of living. What can be done to strike a balance between yesterday and tomorrow; between conservation and development?

Wild Madagascar

Invalid date •English

WILD MADAGASCAR spotlights the many strange and unique species of Madagascar and the impact that one species, the lemur, has had on the island's culture.

Tough Enough

January 2009 •French

Tough Enough, is a 400 meter climbing route in the Tsaranoro Valley in Madagascar. This film shows the first climb by Arnaud Petit, Stéphanie Bodet, Sylvain Millet and Laurent Triay of this route in 2008.

Madagascar, l'île sauvage

Invalid date •French

Madagascar 3D

August 2013 •English

Conditioned by its long lasting geographical isolation Madagascar is home to unique Fauna and Flora, with a high percentage of endemic species. Due to the lack of predators, monkeys and poisonous snakes on the island, extraordinary animal species like the funny lemurs were able to develop in a unique way.

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar

April 2014 •English

The incredible true story of nature’s greatest explorers—lemurs. Through footage captured with IMAX 3D, audiences go on a spectacular journey to the remote and wondrous world of Madagascar. Join trailblazing scientist Patricia Wright on her lifelong mission to help these strange and adorable creatures survive in the modern world.

Mada Underground

Invalid date •French