‘The Indies’ Goes on a Journey With 3 Men Taking a Painting Across a Europe Ravaged by Conflicts (Exclusive Venice Trailer)
Directors Pauline Julier and Nicolas Chapoulier's feature debut, "The Indies" (Les Indes), will premiere in the Venice Days competition lineup at the Venice Film Festival on 5 September. The film is inspired by the real 1652 journey of Diego Velázquez's portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria, Infanta of Spain, which travelled to the court of the young Louis XIV to seal peace between France and Spain after the Thirty Years' War.
The fictionalised story follows Alejandro, a young Spanish nobleman escorted by two French soldiers, as he transports the royal portrait through a Europe torn apart by wars and uprisings, played out against the decline of the medieval world and the rise of science, capitalism and colonial ambition. Théo Urtubey, Raphaël Thiéry and Lazare Minoungou star, with Sylvain Verdet on cinematography and Anita Roth editing; MoreThan Films handles world sales. The directors say they see echoes of today's world in the story, describing it as an exploration of humanity's separation from nature amid a system now showing "signs of exhaustion".
In short
- "The Indies" premieres at Venice Days on 5 September 2026
- Fiction debut of Pauline Julier and Nicolas Chapoulier, based on real 1652 events
- Follows three men escorting a royal portrait across war-torn 17th-century Europe
Explained simply
In 1652, Spain and France were trying to make peace after the Thirty Years’ War, a long series of conflicts that had devastated much of Europe. A portrait of Maria Theresa of Austria, a Spanish princess, was sent to the French court of the young Louis XIV as part of efforts to seal that peace.
The film follows Alejandro, a young Spanish nobleman, and two French soldiers as they carry the portrait across a continent marked by wars and uprisings. Their journey takes place during a period of major change, as older ways of life gave ground to new science, commerce and colonial expansion.
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