Historical mini-series (6x52' / 3x95' / 2x120') produced by LIZLAND FILMS (France) with the support of RFO and the Region of Martinique was presented to the EBU by France 3. This coproduction, France 3- Lizland Films and MFP, is a dramatic representation of slavery in the French colonies from 1788 to 1807.
 
Based on a script by Virginie Brac and Myriam Cottias, this mini-series is directed by Jean-Claude Flamand Barny (candidate for the César awards in 2006).

The series has been shot in Cuba and Martinique, in summer 2006.

Two women, one an aristocrat fresh from a European royal court, the other a Martinican slave, fight for survival in a world of men who pit them against each other, in the apparently idyllic setting of a Martinican plantation.

Highlighting feelings (love, hate, fascination, fear, etc.) between the masters, who came to the colonies in search of wealth, and the slaves, who are fighting to regain their freedom, this story is structured around complex and deeply moving characters.
It is an in-depth look into French history, a well-documented account that avoids over-simplification.
The result is a high-quality historical mini-series that provides a greater understanding of the relationship between North and South.

Bitter Tropics has already been broadcast on TSR1 (on Saturday 5 May and 12 May 2007 at 20h45) and on France 3 ( on Thursday May 10, the day commemorating the abolition of the slavery, and May 17 and 24 at 20h55).

Festival

FIPA 2007= Bitter Tropics is included in the non-competitive selection: "Aspects of French Production".

FESPACO 2007= Bitter Tropics is  selected in the section  "Diaspora".