24/05/2016 - Angelina Jolie Pitt joins young adult adaptation as executive producer

UPDATE (24 May 2016): Key animation has begun on The Breadwinner. The voice cast includes Saara Chaudry (television's Max and Shred), Soma Bhatia (Poltergeist), Laara Sadiq (Special Correspondents), Ali Badshah (Moon Point), Shaista Latif (short film This is the Life), and Kawa Ada (short film Jihad Gigolo). The film will be completed by Summer 2017.

Nora Twomey, co-director of the Oscar nominated The Secret of Kells [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Didier Brunner
interview: Tomm Moore
interview: Viviane Vanfleteren
film profile] is currently in casting and pre-production on The Breadwinner, based on the acclaimed young adult novel by Canadian author Deborah Ellis adapted into a screenplay by Anita Doron (The Lesser Blessed) and Ellis. The Breadwinner is the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who must disguise herself as a boy and become the breadwinner of the family when her father is unfairly imprisoned. Production will commence in August and the film is due for completion in early 2017. A version of the film will be produced in Dari in addition to the English-language version. 

Aircraft Pictures (Canada), Cartoon Saloon (Ireland) and Melusine Productions (Luxembourg) are producing and producers include Tomm Moore and Paul Young of the Cartoon Saloon (Song of the Sea [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tomm Moore
film profile]), Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen of Aircraft Pictures and Stephan Roelants of Melusine Productions. Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer (Emmy winners for The Square [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and Gerry Shirren at Cartoon Saloon will serve as executive producers. The film was developed with support from Telefilm Canada, the Irish Film Board, the Film Fund Luxembourg, and Canadian entities Corus Entertainment, the Harold Greenberg Fund and the Belinda Stronach Foundation. Angelina Jolie Pitt via her Jolie Pas Productions will serve as an executive producer.

Jolie Pitt said, “Millions of young girls like Parvana are growing up today under oppression or conflict, and helping their families to survive in those conditions. This story is a reminder of the immense value of their contribution.”