1988, Ouvéa Island, New Caledonia. 30 police officers are taken hostage by a group of Kanak freedom fighters. 300 soldiers are sent from France to re-establish order. Two men confront each other as they enter negotiations: the captain of the counter-terrorist squad and the head of the kidnappers.

Actor-director Mathieu Kassovitz’s (La Haine) Rebellion was inspired by the real testimony of a French army officer on his role as a negotiator during a hostage situation. By contrasting guerrilla warfare in New Caledonia to the politics of global powers, it is an astute criticism of neocolonialism.