Festivals and celebrationsSub-Saharan AfricaSecular and civic
Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara
In its own language: Rencontres du Film Court Madagascar
Madagascar's annual short film festival, held in Antananarivo with free screenings
Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara is an annual short film festival based in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Founded in 2006, the event gathers filmmakers and audiences for public screenings, workshops, and competitions awarding the Golden Zebu.
When is Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara kept?
Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara is kept on annually in Antananarivo.
Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara is Madagascar's only film festival, organised every year in Antananarivo. Established in 2006, the festival provides free cinema screenings to the public alongside workshops and discussions that serve as practical training for emerging directors. It showcases Malagasy short films alongside work from across Africa, celebrating local creativity and building technical knowledge in a country without commercial movie theatres.
Origins and history
The festival began in 2006 through the initiative of Malagasy director and producer Laza. It is jointly run by the Rencontres du Film Court association, the Institut Français de Madagascar, and the production company Rozifilms. Over the years, attendance has expanded significantly, rising from around twelve thousand attendees in 2013 to approximately twenty-five thousand visitors by its thirteenth edition in 2018. To bring cinema to communities beyond the capital, organizers launched RFC On Tour in 2017, traveling to different regions of Madagascar to inspire regional storytellers, screenwriters, and future film producers.
Screenings and venues
Because Madagascar lacks dedicated commercial cinemas, the festival relies on alternative cultural spaces across Antananarivo. The primary location is the Institut Français de Madagascar in the Analakely district. Audiences also gather for open-air projections or attend events at IKMalagasy, the Malagasy cultural centre situated in Antsahavola, as well as the KUDéTA Urban Club. The festival functions as an informal film school, offering industry meetings and educational training sessions alongside its regular viewings. In typical editions, the program spans nine days, staging dozens of sessions that display hundreds of short motion pictures free of charge.
Competitions and awards
The festival features three main competitive sections alongside its general public screenings. Malagasy directors submit their work to the national fiction short film contest or the national documentary short film contest, while animators across the African continent compete in a dedicated pan-African animation section. Winners in each category receive the Zebu d'Or, a golden statuette named after the island's traditional humped cattle. Festival attendees also vote directly for their favourite entry, which is honoured with a fourth Zebu d'Or trophy under the audience choice category.
How Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara is kept
Over nine days, filmmakers, students, and the public gather in Antananarivo for dozens of free screening sessions across cultural venues and outdoor spaces. The schedule combines competitive film blocks with non-competition showcases, accompanied by training workshops and meetings designed to teach cinematic craft. Audiences view fiction shorts, documentaries, and pan-African animations, casting votes for their favourite works before judges present the Zebu d'Or trophies at the close of the festival.
When and where
The festival takes place every year in Antananarivo, running for about nine days. Edition dates vary across the calendar, with past festivals scheduled during July or late November.
The festival is centered in Antananarivo, Madagascar, with main events at the Institut Français de Madagascar in Analakely, IKMalagasy in Antsahavola, and KUDéTA Urban Club. Touring programmes also travel across the country.
What Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara means
The festival serves as a vital creative hub in a country without commercial movie theatres. It acts as an informal training academy, giving Malagasy storytellers the skills to produce original short films. The award itself, the Zebu d'Or, draws on the cultural symbol of the zebu cattle to celebrate excellence in African and Malagasy cinematic art.
Questions people ask about Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara
When is Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara kept?
Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara is kept on annually in Antananarivo.
What is Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara?
It is Madagascar's only film festival, dedicated to short films. Founded in 2006, it presents hundreds of fiction, documentary, and animated shorts, while offering workshops and training meetings to support local filmmakers.
Where does the festival take place?
The festival is held in Antananarivo, Madagascar. Because the city lacks dedicated cinemas, screenings take place at the Institut Français de Madagascar, IKMalagasy, KUDéTA Urban Club, and outdoor venues, with touring screenings across the country.
What is the Zebu d'Or award?
The Zebu d'Or, or Golden Zebu, is the festival's official trophy. It is presented to the best Malagasy fiction, Malagasy documentary, and African animation shorts, alongside an audience choice prize voted by festival attendees.
Are festival screenings open to the public?
Yes, the festival offers free film screenings to all visitors over its nine-day programme, allowing thousands of audience members to watch Malagasy and African short films each year.
See also
HiragasyA day-long Malagasy highland tradition of song, dance, and poetic speech competitions
SegaA music and dance tradition from Mauritius and Réunion with Afro-Malagasy roots.
FadyA system of cultural taboos in Madagascar that regulate daily life and spiritual practice.Good reading and sources
- Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara on WikipediaEncyclopedia
- More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
- Wikidata recordOpen data
The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Rencontres du Film Court Madagasikara", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.
It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-05.
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