Since Friday, February 4, listeners to radio Polynésie La Première (from the France Télévisions group) have been awakened to the sounds of Marquesan drums. The joyful “Song of FIFO” is interpreted by the staff of the Maison de la Culture in Papeete, and the FIFO Association, who have been supporting this documentary festival like no other for nineteen years.
For a week, the heart of the Tahitian capital and the surrounding islands will beat to the rhythm of film screenings, debates and workshops. Seen from Oceania, this event is more than a competition of documentaries: a collective introspection and a reappropriation of a look at history and the world. It talks about taboo subjects, the submersion of islands under the effect of climate change, biodiversity, the consequences on populations of nuclear tests and land expropriations…
Diversity of Pacific peoples
This year, 29 documentaries were selected, including twelve in official competition (1). “140 km west of paradise” testifies to a fool’s bargain at the end of which Papuans had to give up their land to Exxon Mobil in Papua New Guinea. “Maralinga Tjarutja” narrates the struggle of the aboriginal Maralinga people to reclaim and obtain the decontamination of their lands where British nuclear tests took place in the 1950s. “Cape Vive” depicts the behind the scenes of the island of Hawaii, she who appeared heavenly in Hollywood films.
It is also about culture and encounters (“Small island big song”, “My name is Gulpilil”…), natural resources to be preserved (“New Caledonia, the wild island”, “Alick & Albert”… ), identity (“The island in me”) or difficult evolution of morals (“Strong female lead”).
A festival disrupted by the pandemic
The attachment to this festival, Tahiti’s second cultural event, is such that “the number of festival-goers on the platform in 2021 was almost the same as normal and we counted 35,000 views”, notes Khadidja Benouataf, the FIFO coordinator in Paris. However, the organizers expect lower attendance this year with the return of the face-to-face festival and the obligation of the vaccination pass in an island with relatively low vaccination coverage, which remains ” traumatized ” by covid-19 and its “death in many families”.
The FIFO platform has been allowing the public in mainland France, but also from the Pacific zone, to take part in the festival for two years, with a free and paid version. ” New Zealand and Australia, which have closed their borders “, will also be able to connect this year, specifies Khadidja Benouataf. Two jurors from these countries will deliberate online with the other members of the jury chaired this year by Emmanuel Kasarhérou, the Kanak president of the Musée du Quai-Branly in Paris.
FIFO has been emulated
The award-winning films, which were broadcast on France Ô before the channel was abolished, will be broadcast on the overseas portal La Première, or even perhaps on the channels of France Télévisions. ” The film Ophir (on the rebellion of the Melanesians on the island of Bougainville), which had received the FIFO Grand Prix 2021, was proposed in the “25 Nuances de doc” box on France 2 on November 9, 2021”, specifies the Overseas division of France Télévisions.
FIFO has also been emulated by FIFAC in Guyana and FIFOI in Reunion, following the same “ overseas development strategy “. the re.francetvinfo.fr/polynesie/tahiti/fifo-les-fans-connectes-928327.html” target=”_blank”>overseas portal La Première, which replaced the France Ô channel closed on August 23, 2020, had 19.8 million visitors in 2021, including 1.7 million on the “permanent life” run by animators, further specifies the public group.