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Since its inception, the Ajoe cinema has been community-based. And it intends to stay that way. “It has to remain a pleasure,” insists the association’s president, Cécile Coudreau. At every screening, volunteers step up to the plate—setting up chairs, running the snack bar, handling the technical aspects of the projection, and welcoming the audience. Not to mention all the behind-the-scenes work with distributors. “Davy Magras and Claude Halgand share the screenings,” notes Cécile Coudreau. “And Davy spends a lot of time contacting distributors to secure films. It’s not easy because they’re big companies. We must never forget that we’re a community-run cinema.”
Negotiations with distributors
In the past, Ajoe relied primarily on a film catalog provided by Guadeloupe. Today, that catalog has shrunk, and the association works directly with distributors like Universal, Disney, or Warner Bros. Between 2023 and 2025, of the 65 films scheduled, 29 came directly from these distributors. A shift that offers a wider selection of films but brings with it more technical and organizational constraints. “Each distributor imposes its own conditions,” notes Davy Magras. “We have to conduct separate negotiations with each of them and manage the KDMs (temporary digital keys that allow a film to be played in theaters) individually.” However, these keys are now valid for shorter 24-hour periods, which severely limits our flexibility when a screening needs to be rescheduled, for example due to weather conditions or a lack of volunteers.”
A Diverse Program
The fact that we now work directly with certain distributors is also because they have changed their distribution methods. “This sometimes forces us to temporarily halt the programming of certain catalogs,” explains Davy Magras. “As with Sony films, whose distribution terms have changed. For example, negotiations are still ongoing regarding the release of ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day,’ scheduled for July 29.”
L’Ajoe strives to offer a variety of films to the island’s audience. Some of these are less “mainstream.” But attendance figures sometimes remain too low. “This was particularly the case for Les Chèvres (66 admissions), À couteaux tirés (38), La Dégustation (28), and Comment j’ai rencontré mon père (55),” lists Davy Magras. “We’re still trying to maintain a diverse lineup, though. French comedies, blockbusters, biopics, films in their original language, animated films, and even multigenerational films like The Lion King or Super Mario.” To appeal to everyone, from the youngest to the oldest. While maintaining the family-friendly spirit that is so dear to L’Ajoe.
Simplicity and friendliness
An approach that works, since the chairs set up by volunteers are often filled during screenings. “Residents, seasonal workers—everyone comes,” says Cécile Coudreau, who also notes L’Ajoe’s commitment to modernization with the launch of an online ticketing system following the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the option to pay for snacks with a credit card. These developments, however, should not make us forget that the Ajoe cinema remains a community-run initiative. With a simplicity and warmth that the volunteers and their president intend to keep alive.
