The inaugural Tuléar Indian Ocean Film Festival (T.FFoim) will combine cinema, music, and environmental awareness from July 9th to 12th in Toliara.
Southwestern Madagascar is preparing to host a major new cultural event. From July 9 to 12, the Tuléar Indian Ocean Film Festival (T.FFoim) will debut in Toliara with a clear ambition: to bring cinema closer to the regions while highlighting the maritime and cultural heritage of the Indian Ocean.
For producer Anatole Ramaroson Razafimbelo, this choice reflects a desire to decentralize major cultural events. “Most festivals and training programs are held in Antananarivo. We want to give more visibility to the regions, starting with Toliara, the cradle of maritime culture, the Vezo community, and the tsapiky music, which is now inscribed on UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage list,” he explains.
This showcase edition is distinguished by a program dedicated to the marine world and the coastal communities of the Indian Ocean. Open to productions from Madagascar, Mauritius, Reunion Island, France, and other islands in the region, the festival will screen feature films, documentaries, animated films, fiction works, and immersive cinema experiences, a first for this type of event in Madagascar.
The festival will begin with the Atimo Ciné Lab, a workshop held from July 7 to 10 to introduce youth and women to film industry professions. Screenings will then continue at the Alliance Française of Toliara, followed by several artistic gatherings: concerts, tsapiky guitar and drum competitions, DJ sets, and an open-air film screening on Mangily beach.
One of the highlights will be “Le Baobab des Écumes Renialam-Peondriaky,” an exchange space set up under the baobabs of Mangily. Filmmakers, musicians, poets, slammers, and enthusiasts will share stories, creations, and reflections on the Malagasy coastline. “We want to create a place where images, sound, music, and coastal stories meet to raise public awareness about the protection of the sea and coastal ecosystems,” emphasizes Anatole Ramaroson Razafimbelo.
Centered on the theme “The Sea, Man, and the Coastal Environment,” this first edition pursues several goals: promoting culture through cinema, encouraging youth and women to join the seventh art industry, developing cultural tourism, and raising awareness about environmental preservation through film and music.
Cassie Ramiandrasoa
Captured & Published at: 2026-06-30 17:11:12 (Madagascar Local Time EAT)
Original Source: https://www.lexpress.mg/2026/06/festival-de-film-de-locean-indien-la.html