Swiss production company Alina Film has acquired distribution rights for an ambitious period film from debut feature directors Pauline Julier and Nicolas Chapoulier, with Sister Distribution obtaining distribution rights to “The Indies” (“Les Indes”). The Swiss-Spanish co-production will be unveiled as a work in progress at Madrid’s ECAM Forum co-production marketplace, taking place 9–11 June. Inspired by true events and set in 17th-century Europe during an era of scientific discovery and colonial expansion, the period road movie follows a pair of French soldiers and a Spanish nobleman of noble birth charged with transporting a portrait of the Infanta of Spain to the King Louis XIV to cement a delicate diplomatic alliance. The project marks a significant milestone for the filmmaking pair, who first pitched the concept to Alina Film founders at Locarno festival six to seven years ago.
A Journey Through Centuries
“The Indies” sets itself apart as a distinctly visual endeavour rather than a traditional plot-focused story. The film’s visual aspirations are grounded in the directorial partnership’s mutual dedication to visual creation as a central narrative tool. Julier, a Franco-Swiss artist working across multiple media, has built an international reputation through installations and documentaries screened at prestigious venues such as Visions du Réel and the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris. Chapoulier, a theatre director and visual artist who heads the company Les 3 points de suspension, brings complementary artistic sensibilities to the project. Their joint approach emphasises the visual language of cinema as the central narrative force.
The production landscape reflects a broader confidence in auteur-driven filmmaking. Alina Film’s co-founders, David Epiney and Eugenia Mumenthaler, built their track record supporting singular artistic voices, with prior credits including work by acclaimed directors such as Milagros Mumenthaler and Elena Lopez Riera. Their immediate enthusiasm for Julier and Chapoulier’s concept highlights the increasing demand amongst European producers for formally ambitious period pieces. The decision by Sister Distribution to secure distribution before the film’s work-in-progress premiere at ECAM Forum signals industry faith in the project’s creative quality and box office prospects.
- Image-based narrative prioritised above traditional character arc development
- 17th-century European setting throughout scientific discovery era
- Directors blend visual artistry and theatre-based experience
- Producers advocate for auteur-driven and formally experimental cinema
Visual Presentation Above Substance: A Bold Artistic Statement
“The Indies” marks a intentional move away from traditional storytelling film, treating visual composition as the film’s primary storytelling mechanism rather than character development or plot progression. This visual approach aligns with contemporary European art cinema, where form and image supersede plot mechanics. The directing team’s background in visual arts and installation work has fundamentally shaped their approach to the period film, treating each frame as a deliberately composed visual composition. Sister Distribution’s obtaining distribution rights demonstrates the industry’s expanding appetite to such formally adventurous projects, especially in the European collaborative production landscape where creative vision increasingly drives funding choices.
The production team’s commitment to image-driven narrative reflects wider changes within independent European filmmaking, where filmmakers are actively pursuing distinctive creative perspectives over formulaic commercial entertainment. Alina Film’s track record of supporting auteur filmmakers has positioned the company as a key player in this sector. By supporting Julier and Chapoulier’s creative direction, the producers demonstrate their belief that viewers and festival programmers remain hungry for films that emphasise visual innovation and aesthetic expression over traditional dramatic structures. This strategy carries built-in financial uncertainties, yet the industry’s reaction indicates such risks are evolving into measurable financial propositions.
Official Selections and Visual Language
The 17th-century setting provides a rich visual canvas for exploring period aesthetics through modern formal approaches. The film’s story structure—focused on a diplomatic mission across European landscapes—serves mainly as a means for visual investigation rather than character-driven drama. This structural choice enables filmmakers to approach historical landscape as a character unto itself, with landscapes, architecture and light becoming integral to the storytelling. The historical setting’s natural visual abundance, combined with the filmmakers’ backgrounds in art installations, suggests a film deeply invested in precise composition and colour refinement.
Julier and Chapoulier’s artistic foundation guide their visual strategy, building on current art movements to reconsider historical film traditions. Their earlier projects in documentary film and installation practices reveals a developed comprehension of how imagery conveys meaning beyond narrative exposition. This interdisciplinary methodology disrupts conventional production hierarchies, where dialogue and story conventionally take precedence production priorities. The work-in-progress presentation at ECAM Forum will allow sector specialists to assess how convincingly the directors translate their visual philosophy into screen-based expression across feature-length narrative structure.
First Directing Projects and Creative Heritage
Pauline Julier and Nicolas Chapoulier exemplify a unique category of rising directors whose creative journeys have been influenced by fields outside traditional cinema. Julier, a Swiss-French multi-hyphenate artist, has developed an worldwide profile through art installations and documentary work, with pieces displayed at renowned spaces including Visions du Réel, the Thessaloniki festival and Paris’s Centre George Pompidou. Her previous films “Way Beyond” and “Follow the Water” demonstrate a ongoing dedication to conceptual rigour and visual experimentation. Chapoulier brings corresponding knowledge as a filmmaker, artist and writer, with substantial experience in theatre and existing position as creative director of Les 3 points de suspension. Together, they exemplify a contemporary model of filmmaking where creative work influences filmic expression.
The producers’ choice to assign “The Indies” to debut feature filmmakers demonstrates confidence in their unique creative perspectives rather than proven box office credentials. David Epiney and Eugenia Mumenthaler of Alina Film met the pair at Locarno six to seven years prior, when Julier and Chapoulier first pitched their period concept. Epiney remembered being “impressed by their respective credentials and unique vision for this historical work,” indicating the artistic collaboration resonated immediately with producers already invested in backing distinctive creative talents. This lengthy development period enabled the directors to refine their conceptual approach, whilst Alina Film’s commitment to director-led filmmaking offered the institutional backing required to achieve their expansive creative goals without financial concessions.
- Julier’s art installations displayed at prominent European cultural venues and festivals
- Chapoulier functions as artistic director of theatrical company Les 3 points de suspension
- Directors met producers at Locarno festival across six years before production started
- Alina Film concentrates on backing visionary filmmakers over commercially-driven entertainment projects
Spain’s Rising Draw as Manufacturing Centre
The decision to situate “The Indies” within Spain’s expanding production ecosystem reflects broader sector acknowledgement of the country’s developing expertise as a film production hub. Madrid’s ECAM Forum, where the film will be presented as a work in progress, has emerged as a significant meeting place for European collaborative ventures, drawing producers, distributors and financiers looking to create large-scale productions. Spain’s mix of production capabilities, diverse landscapes and existing facilities has made it growing appeal to international productions looking for European venues and skilled professionals. The collaborative partnership between Swiss and Spanish entities underscores how contemporary filmmaking works internationally, pooling resources and artistic vision to realise productions that might struggle to secure funding within individual country frameworks.
Sister Distribution’s securing of distribution rights demonstrates confidence in both the film’s artistic merit and Spain’s capacity to foster original perspectives. The company’s track record of supporting Julier’s earlier projects illustrates how Spanish distributors are actively engaging with experimental and conceptually rigorous cinema rather than defaulting to commercially formulaic offerings. This dedication indicates a evolution within the Spanish film industry, where distributors increasingly recognise that artistic credibility and festival success translate into lasting viewer interest. The endorsement from an established distributor provides essential credibility for the directors’ unconventional approach, suggesting that period cinema does not need to conform to conventional narrative structures to obtain professional backing and financial sustainability.
Investment and Infrastructure
The international financing structure of “The Indies” illustrates how European production companies harness co-production agreements to spread financial risk whilst accessing complementary resources. Alina Film’s majority stake alongside Lastor Media’s engagement demonstrates Switzerland and Spain’s collaborative capacity, pooling capital and technical expertise to deliver projects exceeding individual national budgets. This arrangement allows ambitious period productions to proceed without reliance upon large studio backing, allowing directors artistic freedom whilst upholding professional production standards. The ECAM Forum itself supports such partnerships, functioning as a marketplace where producers discover compatible collaborators and investors recognise promising projects early in development.
Looking Forward
“The Indies” comes at a pivotal moment for period filmmaking in Europe, where artistic ambition increasingly supersedes commercial convention. The film’s screening at ECAM Forum as a work in progress invites industry scrutiny and audience engagement at a developmental phase, potentially generating impetus before its theatrical debut. With Sister Distribution’s financial backing and the directors’ proven track record in contemporary art practice, the project exhibits the structural framework required to navigate festival circuits and obtain cinema distribution. The convergence of these factors suggests the picture will command attention from programmers and curators looking for distinctive voices that defy genre conventions.
Beyond direct market prospects, “The Indies” constitutes a wider movement within European filmmaking towards visually-led storytelling that emphasise cinematic imagery over character psychology. Julier and Chapoulier’s background in visual arts and theatre respectively enables them to explore period aesthetics as conceptual territory rather than mere period setting. As audiences grow more drawn to formally inventive cinema, particularly within festival contexts, the film’s unconventional approach may create a template for how modern filmmakers can investigate historical subjects through distinctively contemporary sensibilities. The project’s trajectory will undoubtedly shape how upcoming production companies approach funding experimental period works.