{"id":78066,"date":"2026-06-05T09:08:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:08:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/78066\/"},"modified":"2026-06-05T09:08:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-05T09:08:13","slug":"the-indies-from-the-currents-producers-inks-swiss-distribution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/78066\/","title":{"rendered":"‘The Indies’ from ‘The Currents’ Producers Inks Swiss Distribution"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n\tAfter serving as a minority partner to Spain\u2019s Lastor Media<\/a> on the Toronto-winning Spanish pic \u201cThey Will Be Dust,\u201d<\/a> established Swiss banner Alina Film<\/a> is majority-producing with Lastor the period road movie \u201cThe Indies,\u201d (\u201cLes Indes\u201d) which will be sneak-peeked as a work in progress<\/a> at ECAM Forum<\/a> co-production market in Madrid, running June 9-11. <\/p>\n

\n\tSwitzerland\u2019s Sister Distribution<\/a> has just snapped up the rights to the pic, co-written and directed by first-time feature filmmakers Pauline Julier and Nicolas Chapoulier.<\/p>\n

\n\tA Swiss-French multi-hyphenate artist and filmmaker, Julier has gained international recognition with her art installations and documentaries such as \u201cWay Beyond\u201d and \u201cFollow the Water,\u201d showcased at festivals and art centres including Visions du R\u00e9el, Thessaloniki and The Centre George Pompidou in Paris.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tDirector, 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.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cSister Distribution is a regular backer of Julier\u2019s works,\u201d said David Epiney, \u201cThe Indies\u201d 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<\/a> (\u201cThe Currents,\u201d<\/a> \u201cThe Idea of a Lake\u201d) and Elena Lopez Riera (\u201cThe Water\u201d), the production duo immediately fell in love with the project when Julier and Chapoulier first reached out to them.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe 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,\u201d Chapoulier told Variety.<\/p>\n

\n\tInspired by true events, \u201cThe Indies\u201d 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThe true story of this painting of the Spanish infant by Vel\u00e1zquez, 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,\u201d said Julier, known for her interest in exploring the way people connect with their environment through images, stories, rituals or knowledge.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThis is therefore not a character-driven film, but an image-driven film, in which a single image \u2013 a portrait, the focal point of our story, is carried by three men. The era in itself is not that important; it\u2019s a mere excuse to reflect on the symbolic of images, which ones are important and who carries them,\u201d Julier explained.<\/p>\n

\n\tBeyond this reflection on the image, the film depicts a pivotal era in history and the way people are being impacted by their surroundings. \u201cHere it\u2019s a shifting time from the Middle Ages to modernity, a time of colonisation and conflicts,\u201d Julier continued. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cAlejandro 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,\u201d noted Julier, adding that the title \u201cThe Indies\u201d refers to the promise of a better world.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n\tInspired by the works of Kelly Reichardt and Lucrecia Martel \u2013 \u201cboth were at the back of our minds throughout shooting\u201d \u2013 Julier said she and Chapoulier took \u201cbold formal choices\u201d such as square format, long takes, shooting all in exteriors to make best use of natural light, \u201cprecisely to emphasize the artistic weight of the cinematic image.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe filmmaking duo took a similar care in the lengthy casting process. Newcomer Theo Urtubey who plays Alejandro was picked for his \u201ctimeless beauty, slightly feminine, contrasting with the more rugged and earthly appearance of the two other characters\u201d played by Lazare Minoungou and Rapha\u00ebl Thi\u00e9ry.<\/p>\n

\n\tJulier paid tribute to her entire crew \u2013 in particular cinematographer Sylvain Verdet, Camerimage-nominated for his work on \u201cPac\u00edfico Oscuro,\u201d who delivered \u201ca remarkable work despite very tough filming conditions\u201d, over the five-week shooting period between Spain, France and Switzerland.<\/p>\n

\n\tSpanish Competitiveness<\/p>\n

\n\tCommenting on the film\u2019s acquisition for Switzerland, Sister Distribution\u2019s Abel Davoine said: \u201cA 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tThe \u20ac2.6 million ($3.0 million) Swiss-Spanish film co-produced with Swiss public broadcaster RTS, received support from Eurimages and ICEC, the Catalan\u00a0Institute for Cultural Enterprises.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u00a0\u201cToday, 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\u2019s not a coincidence; it comes from a political will,\u201d Epiney underscored.<\/p>\n

\n\tBesides the pitching of \u201cThe Indies \u201cat ECAM Forum, a co-production market Epiney and Mumenthaler have attended since day one \u2013 \u201cthe organisers have a clear editorial line and generosity, it\u2019s an excellent spot!\u201d\u2013 the Swiss producers will take part in Milagros Mumenthaler\u2019s retrospective, jointly organised by ECAM Forum and Filmadrid.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe duo is also preparing the Argentinian-Swiss filmmaker\u2019s next project after her award-winning \u201cThe Currents,\u201d currently screening in U.S. arthouse venues via Kino Lorber Distribution.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cWe can\u2019t say much, it\u2019s very early days, but it will be a romantic comedy,\u201d said Epiney.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"After serving as a minority partner to Spain\u2019s Lastor Media on the Toronto-winning Spanish pic \u201cThey Will Be…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78067,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4],"tags":[40714,40715,40716,40717,40718,17],"class_list":["post-78066","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-switzerland","tag-alina-film","tag-ecam-forum","tag-lastor-media","tag-milagros-mumenthaler","tag-sister-distribution","tag-switzerland"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116696718159677457","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78066","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78066"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78066\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78067"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78066"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78066"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78066"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}