French Guyana

ASSOCIATION CINEMA D’ICI, CINEMA D’AILLEURS - CICA

Marie-Patrice BENOIT
Mont Lucas, 1 - Bat K, Appt 206
97300 Cayenne
mariepatrice@wanadoo.fr / cica97300@yahoo.fr
www.cica-guyane.com

CICA, a non-profit association, has been striving since Decembre 13th 2004 for the promotion of films. Its action can be defined according two four axes :
 Films are screened during special events such as the Guyanese Forum on Films and Documentaries, organised every two years (2006-2008- next edition in April 2011, with Haïti and its Diaspora as theme).
 Image Literacy, through national operations on image literacy : School at the movies, High-scool at the movies, and highschoolers as film trainees.
 To support and help projects based on films and developped by associations, towns or local authorities (advice based on our experience and on the development of our action).
 The training constituent is composed of two aspects (actions aimed at youth, and the necessity for members of the association to be trained in film technologies.)

We also act as partners for festivals (Cinamazonia festival) or actions (video workshops aimed at youth all over the territory) which take place in Guyana. We participate in Cinamazonia by organising projections (as part of the image literacy policy) every two years during the festival. We thus enable youth to access image literacy and a growing number of films thanks to the very large offer proposed by this intercultural festival. For this operation, our actions take place in the cinemas Eldorado in Kourou , Urania in Cayenne and Toucan in Saint-Laurent du Maroni.

The association CICA plays an important part in the film-related actions led in Guyane. It participated in a seminar during the festival entitled "American Molo man" that took place in Saint-Laurent. Thanks to the connections developped with Le Toucan and Cécile SOGAN, we were able to implement projections. For this action, we have received the support from the town and the cinema owner. Our association took also part in the forum in Montsinéry, in September, organized as part of the Regional Scheme for Cultural Development.

However, the main event for CICA remains the Interregional Forum For Short Films and Documentaries, organized every two years in Guyane. Thanks to the dynamism and to its members’ determination, and to their logistic and financial supports, most actions have succeeded. The amount of work yet to do is substantial but inspiring : our greatest motivation is to give most people the opportunity to access this magic…