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The Malagasy director Laza is the director of the Rencontres du film court. RFI / Laetitia Bezain

In the 14th edition of the festival, a hundred or so films from the Big Island, among others. The environment of Malagasy cinema, full of artistic vitality, however, has difficulty in structuring itself. The theme of the 2019 edition is the professionalisation.

On screen, a little boy is looking for his father, pursued by a monster. The room holds its breath, moved by this short animated film. The film won the Jury Prize at the last edition of Fespaco.

For Laza, director of the Rencontres du film court (RFC), the Malagasy cinema is distinguished by its offbeat poetry. " We are far from mainland Africa, so the Souleymane Cissé, the elders, the pioneers of African cinema, the Malagasy - if he is not really interested in African cinema - it is a bit far from him. So we, our references are what we see on YouTube, on TV. We do not really have references, even if we have great filmmakers like Raymond Rajaonarivelo. "

For 14 years, RFCs have been a platform for showing movies, but not only. Thanks to an aid fund, this festival can also produce films for international distribution. A long-term work to better disseminate the Malagasy creation.

For Raymond Rajaonarivelo, an emblematic director of Madagascar, " the cinema is a factor of development ", which " not yet understood " the authorities, according to him. " We have a government that does not know what cinema is all about, and that it does not help anyone, " he laments.

350 films will be broadcast by the end of April 27 clap.