Slave Island, a documentary about modern day slavery on a remote island of Indonesia, has secured Canadian sales company Film Option International as sales agent with an undisclosed minimum guarantee.
The film, directed by Indonesian first time filmmaker Jeremy Kewuan and Belgian Jimmy Hendrickx, is in early production. Hendrickx directed A Punk Daydream, a 2019 documentary set on on the street punks of Jakarta, which premiered at IFFR.
Flemish producer Kristian Van der Heyden commented: “With over 400 hours of research footage on several families that deal with slave trade, we still have quite some work ahead of us. With support from Taiwain’s TAICCA film fund and Film Option’s MG, we have some much needed cash to spend on the non-EU regions for the film.”
Jeremy Kewuan (co-director and activist) added: “I know it will be difficult ahead of us, but the timing is very good. Social media has arrived on the island and my focus is on the youth, the new generation, who I am working with to give the media tools so they can record and spread news from the villages. Especially women and children are victims of abuse. Together, we can stop selling people on our island, and bring awareness about slavery which is in our nature.”
FilmOption International COO Paul Cadieux said that he is “happy that its consequential minimum guarantee was instrumental in securing additional financing for this important social impact documentary and looks forward to bringing the film to the world upon its completion.”
Slave Island is a Belgian-Estonian-Taiwain-Italian co-production, led by producer Kristian Van der Heyden of Harald House. The project has received support from the Flemish Audiovisual Fund and the Belgian tax shelter. Marianna Kaat from Baltic Film Production brought in the Estonian Film Fund. Patrick Mao Huang and Alice You from Flash Forward Entertainment secured Taiwan funding. Italian producer Leonardo Barrile from Samarcanda Films is now also on board Slave Island.
Slave Island won development awards at Pitch Fest Portugal 2020 and Movies That Matter Festival’s Impact Days 2022. It was also presented at Sunny Side of the Doc, Miadoc, MiaMarket, DocEdge and MediMed ANTI PITCH.
A rough cut of Slave Island will be ready by mid-2023, producer Van der Heyden confirmed. DALTON will handle theatrical distribution for Belgium and Periscoop for The Netherlands.
