Red Island from director Robin Campillo opens in theaters on August 16.

Living on one of the last remaining military bases amidst a hedonistic group of French armed forces in 1970s Madagascar, ten-year-old Thomas begins to find cracks in the surface of his family’s blissful existence on the idyllic island. Taking inspiration from his comic book hero Fantomette, Thomas spies on those around him, discovering the hidden and tangled political and sexual lives of the colonizers and the colonized. As relocation looms, he questions whether the memories he has made are ones he should remember fondly.

Simultaneously a sensual evocation of discovering the adult world and a sober reflection of what it represents, Robin Campillo’s anticipated follow-up to his acclaimed 120 BPM weaves together the personal and political in a “visually spectacular [and] masterful portrayal of colonialism through a child’s eyes” (The Upcoming).  Following its World Premiere at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, where it was nominated for a prestigious Golden Seashell “Best Film” Award, the affecting drama was also nominated for Best International Film at the Haifa International Film Festival and a Dragon Award at Goteborg.

Directed by Robin Campillo and written by Robin Campillo (screenplay) and Gilles Marchand (collaboration). The cast includes Nadia Tereszkiewicz, Quim Gutiérrez, Charlie Vausellem, Amely Rakotoarimalala, Sophie Guillemin and Hugues Delamarlière. Produced by Marie-Ange Luciana. Cinematography by  Jeanne Lapoirie.