11/10/26 Between fiction and reality - "L'ordre et la morale" NC

After all the controversy provoked by the film "L’ordre et la morale" in New-Caledonia (NC), it would be prudent not to be too upset about its release, or not, on screen in the only one cinema in Noumea, the capital of NC.
Provided to be on screen on November 16^th  as everywhere in France, the movie's director Matthieu Kassovitch and Nord Ouest Productions in a press release said  they made the decision to postpone the premiere, which will take place on October 29^th at the Centre Culturel TJIBAOU and in Ouvea on October 30^th.
The unique operator of movie theaters in NC, Hickson,  doesn’t want to show the film, saying it "stirs up resentment" and "weakens the forces of consensus". Kassovitch said they do not understand why such a decision, that challenges the broadcast in the New Caledonian population is important.

This statement provoked strong reactions among the population in NC going so far as talk of "censorship" or political pressure. "
Even if this film is a fiction, it is still based on true facts and of course evokes pain of the past.

23 years earlier, in April 1988, FLNKS, pro- independence activists took thirty policemen as hostages in the cave of Gossanah in Ouvea (one of the three loyalty Islands) after they stormed the Police Office and killed four policemen.

The facts speak for themselves, the incident happened during the two rounds of presidential elections in France when the French military stormed in the cave nineteen FLNKS activists were brutally murdered and 2 policemen.
This sad chapter in the life of the Caledonian has wtinesses from Kanak from Ouvea, who agree with the movie because its for them a processus of reconciliation with their own history and they actually acting in.

Initially, there was opposition to the script because it highlighted only one side of the story, based on the book “La morale et l’action” of Commandant Phillipe Legorgus, the mediator between the French Army and the FLNKS activists during the negociations while the action.

 The film finally was shot in French Polynesia/ Tahiti Nui due to this opposition while it was supposed to be shot in Ouvea.

Then, recently, the film’s poster has changed, at the beginning,  one showing half of two faces- a Kanak man and a French white man- beside the two flags of New Caldonia, now the new poster shows only a French white man sitting and holding a French flag.
And the last episode to all this controversy is the screening of the film is its release in New Caledonia.

Michel Rocard a former French PM said to “France O” that he deeply regret Hickson’s decision. He had seen the film, and it’s a correct “history teller”, he said,  It’s true that this is a painfull message, but it’s also true that’s impossible for a people whom been tragically divided among themselves to work on his own reconciliation without knowing his history. South Africa had managed to do it, for example and even in France, they had to work on Vichy’s case, all need a  better knowing, for a better understanding but in this case, Hickson choose cultural regression Rocard said.

Rock Wamytan a former President of FLNKS and current President of NC Congress said to TVNC 1ère that it’s a wise decision from Hickson, cause this movie only show one part of the history and show that this tragedy it’s because of the FLNKS, that’s not true, the FLNKS didn’t have contact with them into the cave, Wamytan said.

Obviously, the people reacted violently- the Caledonians speaking of censorship, political pressure and a demonstration is also planned front of the cinema on November16th, to call for freedom of expression.

So it’s why it would be prudent  to separate the feelings of this fiction, this movie is unfortunately from a true story that lacks truth, then, there’s a line between fiction and reality.

Magalie TINGAL

October 2011