Barcelona-based world sales company MoreThan Films has acquired "Les Indes" ("The Indies") ahead of its premiere at the Venice Film Festival's Giornate degli Autori sidebar, securing international rights to a period road movie from two first-time feature directors. Variety

Co-written and directed by Pauline Julier and Nicolas Chapoulier, the film follows a young Spanish nobleman, Alejandro, played by Théo Urtubey, who is tasked with delivering a portrait of Maria Theresa — infanta of Spain and daughter of King Philip IV — to King Louis XIV of France in 1652. He is joined by two French soldiers, played by Raphaël Thiéry and Lazare Minoungou. The three men cross a war-torn Europe toward Versailles, set against the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity. Variety

The film is a Switzerland-Spain co-production, produced by Spain's Lastor Media and Switzerland's Alina Film. Variety; Giornate degli Autori

For those unfamiliar with the landscape, a "world sales company" acts as a film's agent on the international market — licensing rights territory by territory to distributors, so a film made in Switzerland and Spain can reach cinemas from Tokyo to Toronto.

The production pedigree carries weight. Lastor Media previously produced "Alcarràs," the Carla Simón film that won the Golden Bear at Berlin in 2022. Alina Film's credits include "The Currents." The film is also produced by Eugenia Mumenthaler, a graduate of EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs), a professional training network for European producers. Variety; EAVE

Switzerland's Sister Distribution has already picked up the film for its territory. "Les Indes" was presented as a work in progress at the 2026 ECAM Forum co-production market in Madrid, where it received a special jury mention. Variety; Variety

This marks MoreThan Films' second collaboration with Alina Film, following their work on "Hanami" in 2024. Directed by Denise Fernandes and produced by Eugenia Mumenthaler and David Epiney, "Hanami" was a breakout hit at the Locarno Film Festival. Variety

MoreThan Films is led by managing partners Queralt Pons Serra and Lidia Damatto. Variety

The Giornate degli Autori — sometimes called Venice Days — runs as an independent sidebar within the Venice Film Festival. Its 2026 edition opened with Lili Horvát's "My Notes on Mars" on 22 July, according to the official programme. Giornate degli Autori

What gives "Les Indes" its pull is the chain of credibility behind it: a special jury mention at one of Europe's emerging co-production markets, an early Swiss distribution deal, and a sales agent with a track record of turning festival breakouts into international careers. For a first feature from two directors nobody has heard of yet, those are strong signals — though how audiences respond will only be known once the film screens on the Lido.