Watch the Trailer for Michael Dudok de Wit’s ‘The Red Turtle,’ Debuting At Cannes

Michael Dudok de Wit’s feature-length directorial debut, The Red Turtle (La Tortue Rouge), which premieres at the Cannes Film Festival this week, has unveiled its first trailer:

Dudok de Wit is transitioning from shorts, where he has a proven track record of success with films like The Monk and the Fish and Father and Daughter, to full-length features with the notable assistance of Studio Ghibli, which served as a co-producer on the film (its first-ever European co-production).

The dialogue-less story of a castaway on a lush, deserted tropical island was written by Dudok de Wit and Pascale Ferran (Lady Chatterley, Bird People). Prima Linea Productions handled the animation production; other companies involved in the production and financing of Red Turtle include Wild Bunch, Why Not Productions, Arte France Cinema, CN4 Productions, and Belvision.

Following its Cannes bow, The Red Turtle will be the opening night film at Annecy next month, and Toho will release it in Japanese theaters in September.

We’re still awaiting details about American distribution. The film would be an ideal prestige release for a major studio, especially one without a well-established internal animation program, like Paramount, which burnished its cartoon cred last year by picking up Anomalisa.