TRAILERS

French Trailer for Robin Campillo's 'Red Island' Set in 70s Madagascar

by Alex Billington
April 27, 2023
Source: YouTube

Memento Distribution in France has revealed the first official trailer for a film titled Red Island, the latest from acclaimed director Robin Campillo - best known for his AIDS drama 120BPM before this. That one first premiered at Cannes 2017, but his next one is skipping the festival entirely - which seems a bit strange. L'île Rouge, aka Red island, is set in the 1970s on the African island of Madagascar - taking place at one of the last French outposts at the end of their time as colonialists. The synopsis says it's about "soldiers and their families living through the last illusions of colonialism," with a very specific focus on a 10-year-old boy named Thomas, observing it all through young eyes. This stars Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Quim Gutierrez, Charlie Vauselle, Amely Rakotoarimalala, Hugues Delamarlière, Sophie Guillemin, and David Serero. This is opening in France at the end of May, though there's no other international release dates set yet. At first glance it seems like Campillo's Belfast meets Pacifiction. I think it looks quite good, I'm curious.

Here's the official French trailer (+ poster) for Robin Campillo's Red Island, from YouTube (via TFS):

At the beginning of the 70s, in Madagascar, a few armed forces and their families live in one of the last French military bases abroad, a relic of the ending French colonial empire. Influenced by his reading of intrepid comic book heroine Fantômette, Thomas, a ten-year-old boy, sweeps with a curious glance what surrounds him. Beneath the carefree expatriate life, his eyes are gradually opening to another reality. Red Island, also known as L'île Rouge in French, formerly titled Vazaha, is directed by the acclaimed Moroccan-French writer / filmmaker Robin Campillo, director of the films They Came Back, Eastern Boys, and 120 BPM previously. The screenplay is written by Robin Campillo, Gilles Marchand, Jean-Luc Raharimanana. Produced by Marie-Ange Luciani. Memento Distr. will open L'île Rouge in French cinemas starting on May 31st, 2023 this summer. No US release date is set yet - stay tuned. First impression? Anyone interested?

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