Pheasant Island (film)

Pheasant Island
Film poster
BasqueFaisaien Irla
Directed byAsier Urbieta
Screenplay by
  • Asier Urbieta
  • Andoni de Carlos
Produced by
  • Ibon Cormenzana
  • Ignasi Estapé
  • Sandra Tapia Díaz
  • Ángel Durández
Starring
CinematographyPau Castejón Úbeda
Edited byMaialen Sarasua Oliden
Music byRüdiger
Production
companies
  • Arcadia Motion Pictures
  • La Tentación Producciones
  • Galatea Films
  • La Fidèle Production
Distributed by
Release dates
  • January 2025 (2025-01) (GFF)
  • 23 April 2025 (2025-04-23) (France)
  • 25 April 2025 (2025-04-25) (Spain)
Countries
  • Spain
  • France
Languages
  • Basque
  • French
  • Spanish

Pheasant Island (Basque: Faisaien Irla) is a 2025 thriller film directed by Asier Urbieta. It stars Jone Laspiur and Sambou Diaby.

It had its world premiere at the 48th Göteborg Film Festival ahead of its theatrical release in France and Spain in April 2025.

Plot

As they take a walk near the Pheasant Island on the Bidasoa river, the couple formed by Laida and Sambou take notice of people swimming across the river, only for a corpse to appear soon afterwards.[1]

Cast

Production

The film is an Arcadia Motion Pictures, La Tentación Producciones and Galatea Films production alongside La Fidèle Production,[2] with the participation of EiTB and Movistar Plus+.[3] It was shot in Basque and French (primarily) as well as Spanish.[2][3] Shooting locations included Irun, San Sebastián, and Hendaye.[3]

Release

Selected in the slate of the 48th Göteborg Film Festival (GFF), the film had its world premiere in January 2025.[4][5] It was also programmed in a non-competitive slot of the 28th Málaga Film Festival.[6] La Fidèle Production scheduled a French release for 23 April 2025.[7] Distributed by BTeam Pictures,[2] it was released theatrically in Spain on 25 April 2025.

Reception

Vittoria Scarpa of Cineuropa deemed the film to be worth watching because it "asks compelling questions", "sheds light on a little-explored socio-geographical reality", and "adds unexpected poetic touches to its fundamentally realist approach".[5]

Javier Ocaña of Cinemanía lamented Pheasant Island to be one example of those films with "screenplays about interesting topics, but [also] somewhat skeletal due to a lack of ambition", falling short both as social cinema and, even further, as a thriller.[8]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i Úbeda-Portugués, Alberto (21 April 2025). "Los estrenos del 25 de abril. 'La isla de los Faisanes' (Faisaien irla). Fronteras mortales". Aisge.
  2. ^ a b c "Sandra Tapia, productora de 'La isla de los faisanes': «Nos gusta llegar al público con historias y personajes que le hagan reflexionar»". Audiovisual451. 24 April 2025.
  3. ^ a b c Rivera, Alfonso (15 January 2025). "La isla de los faisanes, ópera prima de Asier Urbieta, competirá en el Festival de Göteborg". Cineuropa.
  4. ^ Pham, Annika (7 January 2025). "Göteborg Reveals Lineup With 25 World Premieres, Thomas Vinterberg and Julie Delpy Tributes, 'Stranger' as Closing Film". Variety.
  5. ^ a b Scarpa, Vittoria (19 November 2025). "Review: Pheasant Island". Cineuropa.
  6. ^ "Toda la programación del 28 Festival de Cine de Málaga 2025". Escribiendo Cine. 25 February 2025.
  7. ^ "Les distributeurs ajustent leurs line-ups". BoxOfficePro. 21 March 2025.
  8. ^ Ocaña, Javier (24 April 2025). "Crítica de 'La isla de los faisanes': se queda corto como cine social y aún más como thriller". Cinemanía.