Angelina Jolie Pitt’s Jolie Pas Productions prodco has boarded The Breadwinner, an animated feature produced by Toronto’s Aircraft Pictures, Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon and Luxembourg’s Melusine Productions.

The Breadwinner is based on a young adult novel by the same name from Canadian author Deborah Ellis. The film will be directed by Nora Twomey, who previously co-directed the Oscar-nominated The Secret of Kells. The screenplay is penned by Anita Doron.

The Breadwinner tells the story of a young girl named Parvana who is living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan and disguises herself as a boy to become the breadwinner for her family after her father is imprisoned. The film will be produced in both English and Dari. Jolie Pitt will donate any of the profits she receives as executive producer on the project towards the education of Afghan girls. Production is currently to start in August and casting is underway. The Breadwinner is set to be completed by early 2017.

Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen serve as producers on The Breadwinner for Aircraft Pictures, along with Tomm Moore and Paul Young of Cartoon Saloon and Stephan Roelants of Melusine Productions. Jehane Noujaim, Karim Amer and Gerry Chirren of Cartoon Saloon will serve as executive producers along with Jolie Pitt.

Financing for The Breadwinner came from Telefilm Canada, the Irish Film Board, the Film Fund Luxembourg, Corus Entertainment, the Harold Greenberg Fund and the Belinda Stronach Foundation.

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