Film · 2022 · Documentary

Waan Yaat, on Land Belonging to the French Republic

This movie retraces one of the bloodiest episodes in the 'Events' in New Caledonia. On December 5th, 1984, in Waan Yaat in the Hienghène valley, kanak independence activists were the victims of an ambush. The Waan Yaat massacre leaves 10 dead and 5 seriously injured. The trap was laid by small landowners from the valley, who wanted to avoid being chased out of their property. The murderers confessed to the crime but were acquitted by the French justice system, who ruled their actions were 'preventative self-defence'. Almost 40 years on, the protagonists of this tragedy speak out for the first time.