Ecole de l'air

« Ecole de l’air » is the fourth feature film by Robin Campillo and probably his most intimate project. His father was a second lieutenant in the French air force at the Ivato military base in Madagascar in the late 1960s. The country was independent but France still imposed its culture and domination. In Ivato for three years, Robin lived in this paradox : worried by the situation of the country and that of his family of which he could understand neither the violence nor the issues. But this is also where he lived the Golden Age of his childhood. This tension, the innocence or unconsciousness of childhood facing the violence of History inspired Robin Campillo to write this new film about Thomas (10) who lives with his parents on the Ivato Base in Madagascar. Throughout the story, Thomas gradually becomes conscious about the world surrounding him : of the masculinity of his environment in which he senses both sensuality and violence, especially that exerted on his mother Colette. In his search of understanding, Thomas is accompanied by a novel heroine, Fantômette, an autonomous child, without parents, herself struggling with the obscure part of adults. One night, wearing the complete costume of his heroine, Thomas wanders out alone on the military base to discover the other side of the colonial decor.Gradually emerges a kaleidoscopic vision of a world cut in half, whites, blacks, children, adults, reality, fiction in between which Thomas, our hero without superpowers, will act as the go-between. Ecole de l’air will be mainly shot in Madagascar. Given the substantial cost of the film and it’s international dimension we’re setting up a co-production between France, Belgium and Switzerland. With the significant critical and box office success of Robin Campillo's latest film "120 BPM" in mind (distributed in more than 50 countries) we foresee a worldwide distribution of this fourth feature film.