FIFO celebrates its 20th anniversary in February 2023. This unique documentary covers the 20th anniversary of the festival, from its genesis to its rise over the years to become the unmissable meeting place for documentary film in the Pacific. . Discover the history of this festival which is currently taking place in Tahiti and honors Oceanian culture.
FIFO was created in 2004 by Walles Kotra then Executive Director in charge of Overseas at France Télévisions and Hermoana Maamaatuaiahutaputhen director of the Maison de la Culture in Papeete and current Minister of Culture of French Polynesia.
One of FIFO’s objectives is to make Tahiti the oceanian capital of documentary film to allow Pacific Islanders to meet and reveal themselves to the world. A link between the Polynesian, Micronesian and Melanesian worlds since its creation, FIFO has become a privileged place where the Pacific man can speak. It is also an important cultural event that promotes the region through its images.
At the start of FIFO, there were no local documentaries due to a lack of means to produce them against the foreign giants. Support for audiovisual production did not exist in Polynesia. From the first FIFOs, a reflection was initiated to modify this. A fund for audiovisual creation was subsequently created.
The FIFO is an unmissable event for a true sharing of the Oceanian audiovisual heritage in a world where the weight and the way of the image are major and privileged axes of the establishment of dialogue and exchange.
FIFO is the only place in the world where we try to feel the questions of our region.
In twenty years, he has become the unmissable meeting documentary film in the Pacific and Pacific culture.
To recount twenty years of festival is to cross twenty years of Oceanian news. This with films in touch with the world which manifests itself in the works presented and in the choices of the jury.
The festival is a reflection of its time, and revisiting FIFO’s great moments is also a way of reclaiming the contemporary history of this region of the world. FIFO has always given pride of place to strong themes, such as the question of gender identity with Gray Teacher by director Joe Wilson, audience award in 2015, nuclear with the documentary To the children of the bombdirected by Christine Bonnet, grand jury prize in 2013, the environment with the documentary The Land That Lives directed by Briar March, who won the grand prize in 2010 or even the story with Tjibaou, the murdered word directed by Walles Kotra and Gilles Dagneau, audience award in 2004.
A selection from each edition now occurs outside the walls with the FIFO outside the walls. Miriama Bono (president of the FIFO-AFIFO association) wants the festival to remain accessible to people. FIFO goes out to meet its audiences through meetings with schoolchildren in the islands, the Marquesas, the Tuamotus and the southern islands.
During the festival, various events are also organized for professionals and the public to facilitate meetings and the development of joint projects. There is now a night of fiction or even Pitch dating which come to complete the initial offer and conferences of the Oceanian televisions.
The narration of the film is carried out by one of the sharpest feathers of the youth of Noumea, the Kanak poet Paul Wamo.
With testimonials from Laure Adlerpresident of the FIFO jury in 2007 and 2008, Greg Germaindirector, president of FIFO 2013, Herve Bourgespresident of the FIFO jury in 2004 and 2006, Luc Jacquetdirector, president of the FIFO jury in 2011, 2014 and 2021 and Emmanuel Kasarheroupresident of the Quai-Branly museum – Jacques Chirac, president of FIFO 2022.
FIFO has gone through a major health crisis, political upheavals and it is still there, a real “tupuna!”.
The website of FIFO
Find documentaries presented at FIFO on the Overseas Territories portal.
Achievement : Jacques Navarro-Rovira
Production : merapi with the participation of France Télévisions
Duration : 52 min – 2022