Sony Pictures Classics acquires rights to Saudi thriller ‘Unidentified’

Currently in post-production, 'Unidentified' is written and produced by Al Mansour and Brad Niemann.

Sony Pictures Classics (SPC) has secured the rights to Unidentified across North America, Latin America, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Australia, New Zealand and global airline distribution. The Saudi-language thriller, directed by filmmaker Haifaa Al Mansour and co-written and produced by Al Mansour and Brad Niemann, is currently in post-production.

Starring Mila Al Zahrani and Shafi Al Harthi, Unidentified is produced by Al Mansour Establishment in association with Rotana Studios, with support from Saudi Arabia’s Daw Programme under the Film Commission.

In Unidentified, the drama is sparked by the discovery of the lifeless body of a teenage girl in the desert. When no one claims the body, Noelle Al Saffan, a newly divorced, true crime aficionado who recently lost a child of her own, gets obsessively involved. Despite a ticking clock that seemingly guarantees the girl’s senseless death will be discarded as a cold case, Noelle is determined to identify the body and uncover the truth. She slowly unravels a mystery entangled within a traditional society in transition, where women are learning to create more space for themselves and to take control of their own destinies.

Speaking about the film, Al Mansour said: “I am so excited to reteam with Sony Pictures Classics for the release of my latest film Unidentified. SPC championed my very first film Wadjda, about a young girl who wanted to ride a forbidden bicycle, before cinema was even legal in the Kingdom. I couldn’t be happier to be working with them again to tell another female-driven story at an equally exciting time of fundamental change in Saudi Arabia.”

“With Wadjda, Haifaa Al Mansour became one of the world’s most exciting filmmakers. We are thrilled to be releasing her newest film, the mystery-thriller Unidentified, which is exactly the type of compelling movie that’s thriving in the theatrical marketplace right now. It promises to be a major SPC success at the end of the year,” added Sony Pictures Classics.

The acquisition marks a reunion between Sony Pictures Classics and Al Mansour, following their collaboration on Wadjda, the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and directed by a Saudi Arabian woman. Wadjda was Saudi Arabia’s first-ever Oscars submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards and was also nominated for a BAFTA Award.

The deal was negotiated by Sony Pictures Classics, with UTA Independent Film Group and Memento International representing the filmmakers.

Sources: www.broadcastprome.com