Film Movement Takes North American Rights for ‘Promised Sky’

Indie U.S. distributor Film Movement has acquired North American rights to French-Tunisian director Erige Sehiri’s migrant drama “Promised Sky” which looks at the lives of three undocumented Ivorian women in Tunisia and premiered this year in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

“Promised Sky” follows Marie, an Ivorian pastor and former journalist, who has lived in Tunisia for 10 years. Her home becomes a refuge for Naney, a young Ivorian mother seeking a better future, and Jolie, a strong-willed student carrying her family’s hopes. The arrival of a little orphan girl challenges their sense of solidarity in a tense social climate, revealing both their fragility and strength.

Sehiri’s previous film, “Under the Fig Trees,” played in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight in 2022, and was selected to represent Tunisia at the 2023 Academy Awards.

Film Movement, which released “Under the Fig Trees” in 2023, has acquired Sehiri’s latest film for North American release. They are planning a theatrical rollout in 2026, followed by release to all leading digital platforms and the home entertainment marketplace, according to a statement. 

The “Promised Sky” deal was announced by  Film Movement president Michael Rosenberg and Jennyfer Gautier, head of international sales at Paris-based Luxbox Films, which is handling world sales on the timely title. The film’s producers are Didar Domehri for Maneki Films and Sehiri for Henia Production. The co-producer is France’s Canal+.

“Erige Sehiri has once again demonstrated her extraordinary ability to tell deeply human stories with warmth, nuance, and compassion,” said Rosenberg in the statement. “Promised Sky is a film that resonates far beyond its borders, shedding light on the resilience of those living in limbo and the unbreakable bonds of solidarity,” he added. “We’re honored to bring this powerful work to North American audiences.”

Variety critic Tomris Laffly in her “Promised Sky” review praised the film saying that it “adds up to something greater than the sum of its parts, becoming a unique drama about marginalized African immigrant women fighting for their dignity and place not in Europe (the usual setting for many similarly themed films), but on their own continent, Africa.”

The “Promised Sky” acquisition adds to Film Movement’s growing slate, which includes Japanese auteur Chie Hayakawa’s “Renoir,” that launched from Cannes; Dominik Moll’s police thriller “Case 137,” also a Cannes title; and Chinese director Huo Meng’s Berlinale Silver Bear-winner “Living the Land.”