After serving as a minority partner to Spain’s Lastor Media on the Toronto-winning Spanish pic “They Will Be Dust,” established Swiss banner Alina Film is majority-producing with Lastor the period road movie “The Indies,” (“Les Indes”) which will be sneak-peeked as a work in progress at ECAM Forum co-production market in Madrid, running June 9-11.
Switzerland’s Sister Distribution has just snapped up the rights to the pic, co-written and directed by first-time feature filmmakers Pauline Julier and Nicolas Chapoulier.
A Swiss-French multi-hyphenate artist and filmmaker, Julier has gained international recognition with her art installations and documentaries such as “Way Beyond” and “Follow the Water,” showcased at festivals and art centres including Visions du Réel, Thessaloniki and The Centre George Pompidou in Paris.
Director, visual artist and author Chapoulier for his part has a background in theatre and currently serves as artistic director to the company Les 3 points de suspension.
“Sister Distribution is a regular backer of Julier’s works,” said David Epiney, “The Indies” producer and Alina Film co-founder alongside Eugenia Mumenthaler. Themselves passionate about film as an art and singular filmmakers voices, such as the acclaimed Milagros Mumenthaler (“The Currents,” “The Idea of a Lake”) and Elena Lopez Riera (“The Water”), the production duo immediately fell in love with the project when Julier and Chapoulier first reached out to them.
“We met in Locarno six-to-seven years ago. They pitched us the idea, and we were both impressed by their respective credentials and unique vision for this period piece,” Chapoulier told Variety.
Inspired by true events, “The Indies” is set in 17th century Europe, an era of scientific discoveries and distant colonisation. Two French soldiers and young Spanish nobleman Alejandro are tasked with delivering the portrait of the Infanta of Spain to the young king of France, Louis XIV, in order to seal a fragile alliance between the two crowns. The journey to Versailles is long and arduous and the path back to civilisation and the emerging modern world remains uncertain.
“The true story of this painting of the Spanish infant by Velázquez, which took months to travel from point A to point B, seemed quite extraordinary and caught my eye, as it contrasts sharply with our digital era of instant images,” said Julier, known for her interest in exploring the way people connect with their environment through images, stories, rituals or knowledge.
“This is therefore not a character-driven film, but an image-driven film, in which a single image – a portrait, the focal point of our story, is carried by three men. The era in itself is not that important; it’s a mere excuse to reflect on the symbolic of images, which ones are important and who carries them,” Julier explained.
Beyond this reflection on the image, the film depicts a pivotal era in history and the way people are being impacted by their surroundings. “Here it’s a shifting time from the Middle Ages to modernity, a time of colonisation and conflicts,” Julier continued.
“Alejandro in the film argues that the development of trade routes will bring peace. But is it really the case? Do trade exchanges really come with greater dialogue and understanding between nations? This questioning is extremely topical,” noted Julier, adding that the title “The Indies” refers to the promise of a better world.
Inspired by the works of Kelly Reichardt and Lucrecia Martel – “both were at the back of our minds throughout shooting” – Julier said she and Chapoulier took “bold formal choices” such as square format, long takes, shooting all in exteriors to make best use of natural light, “precisely to emphasize the artistic weight of the cinematic image.”
The filmmaking duo took a similar care in the lengthy casting process. Newcomer Theo Urtubey who plays Alejandro was picked for his “timeless beauty, slightly feminine, contrasting with the more rugged and earthly appearance of the two other characters” played by Lazare Minoungou and Raphaël Thiéry.
Julier paid tribute to her entire crew – in particular cinematographer Sylvain Verdet, Camerimage-nominated for his work on “Pacífico Oscuro,” who delivered “a remarkable work despite very tough filming conditions”, over the five-week shooting period between Spain, France and Switzerland.
Spanish Competitiveness
Commenting on the film’s acquisition for Switzerland, Sister Distribution’s Abel Davoine said: “A historical study with such a contemporary and relevant perspective, where intelligence and grace are not opposed but rather complementary: this is precisely the core of our vibrant lineup.”
The €2.6 million ($3.0 million) Swiss-Spanish film co-produced with Swiss public broadcaster RTS, received support from Eurimages and ICEC, the Catalan Institute for Cultural Enterprises.
“Today, thanks to the numerous filming incentives and national and regional support to minority co-productions, Spain has become more competitive and attractive than France for instance, a natural co-production partner to Switzerland. And if Spain is booming these days as a shoot and production hub, it’s not a coincidence; it comes from a political will,” Epiney underscored.
Besides the pitching of “The Indies “at ECAM Forum, a co-production market Epiney and Mumenthaler have attended since day one – “the organisers have a clear editorial line and generosity, it’s an excellent spot!”– the Swiss producers will take part in Milagros Mumenthaler’s retrospective, jointly organised by ECAM Forum and Filmadrid.
The duo is also preparing the Argentinian-Swiss filmmaker’s next project after her award-winning “The Currents,” currently screening in U.S. arthouse venues via Kino Lorber Distribution.
“We can’t say much, it’s very early days, but it will be a romantic comedy,” said Epiney.
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