Country guide · Oceania
3 Movies Set in or About New Caledonia
New Caledonia on the atlas: the strongest films of its own cinema, and the films the rest of the world has set there. Every list is curated and ranked by hand.
3 Movies Set in or About New Caledonia
Outside filmmakers looking toward New Caledonia: optional perspectives for a wider journey.
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1. Rebellion
In 1988, Kanak independence fighters take gendarmes hostage on a New Caledonian island, and as France sends in troops, a negotiator races to find a peaceful end before politics forces a bloody assault. Mathieu Kassovitz's tense, damning drama based on true events.
Curator’s note: A French historical drama about the Ouvéa cave hostage taking in New Caledonia.
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2. Atlantis
Luc Besson's near-wordless documentary is a hypnotic celebration of the ocean's beauty and strangeness, gliding among its creatures set to a sweeping score. A visual and musical reverie of the underwater world.
Curator’s note: Candidate set/about film held back by curator: missing main-subject evidence, duplicate, or top-10 slot.
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3. The Proud and Profane
During World War II, a grieving Red Cross widow arrives on New Caledonia to learn how her husband died and falls into a turbulent affair with a hardened Marine officer. A romantic wartime drama.
Curator’s note: Candidate set/about film held back by curator: missing main-subject evidence, duplicate, or top-10 slot.
Selected by the FilmsAroundThe.World editorial desk
Lists are ranked for craft, enduring reputation, influence, and depth of engagement with place. Native selections require a verified creative relationship to the country; souvenir selections require an outside creative lead and a country-centered story. Read the methodology.
Editorial review: 2026-07-13
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