The Color of the Sun heads to Venice with Pool Films on world sales
The Pool Films has acquired world rights to Xavier Tera’s debut before its Venice Horizons premiere.
By Bianca Rossi · Entertainment Editor
3 min read
The Color of the Sun Venice rollout has a sales partner: Paris-based The Pool Films has acquired world rights to Xavier Tera’s first feature ahead of its world premiere in the festival’s Horizons section, according to Variety.
The coming-of-age drama marks a new turn for Tera, a Tokyo-based photographer and commercials director whose past collaborators include Harry Styles, Kaytranada and Rosalia. The film is performed in Japanese and English and was shot in Okinawa, the Japanese island that, according to Variety, is home to more than 30 U.S. military bases.
The Pool Films plans to present the movie to international buyers after it premieres at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, which runs Sept. 2 to 12.
What is The Color of the Sun about?
The film follows Kamei, a Japanese teenager, and his friends during their last summer break before graduating high school. An official plot description says their world shifts after they become close with Colin, a teen raised on one of Okinawa’s U.S. bases, pushing Kamei to face insecurities he has kept buried.
The synopsis frames the story around adolescence, desire, shifting allegiances and betrayal, all set under the presence of helicopters overhead. It also places the connection between Kamei and Colin at the center of the drama, using their similarities and differences to explore belonging.
The Color of the Sun was shot on 35mm film. Its cinematographer is Sayombhu Mukdeeprom, whose credits include Luca Guadagnino’s Call Me by Your Name and Challengers, as well as Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Palme d’Or winner Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
Who is in the cast and crew?
The cast includes first-time actors Naoto Shimajiri, Daido, Ichiro Andre Castro and Yuma Taira, alongside West Mulholland, whose credits include Presence and Animal Kingdom.
The film is an Italy, Canada and Japan co-production. Producers include Janie Chartier of Twin Brains, Stella Rossa Savino of MIA Film, Antonio Miyakawa of Wise Pictures, Jeremy O. Harris and Shogen. John Lesher, producer of Birdman, serves as executive producer.
Gilles Sousa, co-founder of The Pool Films, described the movie in a statement as a visually strong and emotionally resonant first feature. He also credited Tera’s perspective and Mukdeeprom’s cinematography with giving the film its impact.
How Okinawa shaped Xavier Tera’s debut
Tera was born in Montreal and grew up between the U.K., Canada and Japan, according to Variety. Before moving into features, he worked in fashion photography, commercials, visual art and campaigns for brands including Nike, Adidas, Burberry and Moncler.
In his director’s statement, Tera said he left Tokyo for Okinawa during the early stages of the Covid pandemic. He said spending time there deepened his understanding of the island’s culture, history and independence.
Tera also said his Canadian background made him see connections between Okinawa’s past and the histories of Indigenous communities elsewhere. Rather than center the film on geopolitics, he said he wanted to examine those ideas through two teenagers from the same place but different backgrounds.
This story draws on original reporting from Variety.