The inaugural Tuléar Festival of Indian Ocean Film on the Sea will bring together cinema, music and environmental awareness from July 9-12 in Toliara. Southwestern Madagascar is preparing to host a major new cultural event. From July 9-12, the Tuléar Festival of Indian Ocean Film on the Sea (T.FFoim) will make its debut in Toliara with a clear ambition: to bring cinema closer to regional audiences 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 tsapiky, now inscribed on UNESCO's intangible cultural heritage list," he explains.

This inaugural edition stands out with programming dedicated to the marine world and coastal communities of the Indian Ocean. Open to productions from Madagascar, Mauritius, Réunion, 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 Atimo Ciné Lab, a workshop running July 7-10 to introduce young people and women to cinema professions. Screenings will continue at the Alliance française in Toliara before giving way to various artistic events: concerts, tsapiky guitar, drums and DJ competitions, as well as open-air film screenings on Mangily beach.

One highlight will be "Le Baobab des Écumes Renialam-Peondriaky," an exchange space set under the baobab trees of Mangily. Filmmakers, musicians, poets, slam artists and enthusiasts will share stories, creations and reflections on Madagascar's coastline. "We want to create a place where image, sound, music and stories of the coast meet to raise public awareness about protecting the sea and coastal ecosystems," emphasizes Anatole Ramaroson Razafimbelo.

Under the theme "The Sea, Man and Coastal Environment," this first edition pursues several objectives: promoting culture through cinema, encouraging young people and women to enter the film industry, developing cultural tourism and raising public awareness about environmental preservation through cinema and music.