Where Zebus Speak French
Chez les zébus francophones
Awards
DOK LEIPZIG (2023) – Winner: Leipziger Ring Prize
IDFA (2023) – Winner: Luminous Selection
“Les oeillades” French-Language Film Festival (2023) – Winner: Green Film Award
Jean Rouch Festival (2024) – Nominated: "Images in the Library" Recommendation
“Won Together” International Festival (2024) – Winner: Vladislav Mikoshi Victory Prize
Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival (2024) – Nominated: International Competition: Grand Prize
Set on the rice paddies of Madagascar’s capital, Antananarivo, Where Zebus Speak French explores the ongoing resistance of subsistence farmers against the political and economic interests of China’s ‘Presidential Project’ developments, which continue to threaten their ancestral land and way of life. At the heart of the film lies a searing exploration of modern colonialism, forced displacement and exploitation, revealing a deeper corruption and betrayal of the very people the government claims to serve and protect. Punctuated by daily life on the paddies and rich folkloric mythologies expressed in stories performed through traditional puppetry, the film shows how Malagasy culture, identity, and history remain inseparable from the land they are fighting to protect. Guided by an unwavering spirit, Where Zebus Speak French captures the experiences of a community led into powerful resistance for the survival of their culture and legacy, against foreign forces seeking the erasure of their land, lives and history.
Film Stills
Trailer
Previous Festivals
Acharnière Festival (Lille, France)
Africa Alive FF (Germany) (2024)
Africa in Vision (Bordeaux, France) (2023)
Afrika FF Köln (Germany) (2024)
Afrikamera FF (Berlin, Germany) (2024)
Algiers FF (Algeria) (2024)
Biolle Festival, Cinema & Rurality (France) (2024)
Castres African FF (France) (2024)
Cinemondes (France) (2024)
Citizen FF (Reunion Island) (2023)
DOK LEIPZIG (Germany) (2023)
DOXA Doc FF (Canada) (2024)
Euganea FF (Italy) (2024)
European FF (Madagascar) (2024)
FESPACO (Burkina Faso) (2025)
FIDADOC (Agadir, Morocco) (2024)
FIFOI (Reunion Island) (2024)
French FF (Milwaukee, USA) (2024)
German Int’l Ethnographic FF (Germany) (2024)
IDFA (Netherlands) (2023)
Jean Rouch Festival (France) (2024)
Lausanne African FF (Switzerland) (2024)
Move it! Festival (Germany) (2024)
Seoul Int’l Eco FF (South Korea) (2024)
Taiwan Int’l Doc FF (Taiwan) (2024)
Torelló Mountain Cinema Festival (Barcelona, Spain) (2024)
“Les oeillades” French-language FF (France) (2023)
“Won Together” Int’l Festival (Russia) (2024)
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