Celebrated World Premiere
On Sunday evening, ISLANDS, directed by Jan-Ole Gerster, celebrated its world premiere as part of the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The film team, including director Jan-Ole Gerster and lead actors Sam Riley, Jack Farthing, and young talent Dylan Torrell, presented the multi-layered neo-noir thriller at Zoo Palast as a "Berlinale Special Gala". Shot entirely on Fuerteventura, the thriller will be released in cinemas on May 8, 2025, distributed by LEONINE Studios.
Tom (Sam Riley) works as a tennis coach at an all-inclusive hotel on Fuerteventura. What may seem like a dream of endless summer has long since turned into monotonous routine for the former professional player. While tourists come and go in an endless stream, he hits hundreds of balls over the net week after week, filling the void with fleeting affairs and alcohol. But then the mysterious Anne (Stacy Martin) arrives at the hotel. She, her husband Dave (Jack Farthing), and their seven-year-old son Anton (Dylan Torrell) do not fit the image of typical package holiday tourists. Tom quickly grows closer to the family: he gives Anton tennis lessons and invites them on a trip to show them the island’s rugged beauty. The next day, Dave has disappeared without a trace. Just as mysterious as Dave’s disappearance is Anne’s behavior, which puzzles Tom. A suspicion begins to form in his mind.
The screenplay was co-written by Jan-Ole Gerster, Blaz Kutin, and Lawrie Doran. Juan Sarmiento G. was responsible for cinematography, with production design by the award-winning Cora Pratz. Costume design was by Christian Röhrs, sound recording by Stefan Soltau, and the score was composed by Dascha Dauenhauer, who won the German Film Award for BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ.
ISLANDS is a production of augenschein Filmproduktion (Maximilian Leo, Jonas Katzenstein) in co-production with LEONINE Studios and Schiwago Film. The film was funded by Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA), Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Deutscher Filmförderfonds (DFFF), and the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM).