Ignace Solo Randrasana

This documentary shows how cinema has been used very differently in three neighbouring African countries with different colonial heritages: Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Madagascar. Mozambique used cinema newsreels as a crucial propaganda tool after the Portugese colonisers left. Madagascar boycotted US movies, so its screens were dominated by French, Indian and Hong Kong films instead. But a few films managed to get made. The situation in Zimbabwe was the worst, except that alone of the three countries it possessed an efficient film laboratory.

The story of Madagascar from 1895 to 1975: colonization, war, revolt, independence. Since the movie is a historical drama, the Malagasy government forced the director to modify the film so that it was in accordance with the Socialist Revolutionary ideas.