Sphere Media independent sales outfit WaZabi Films has acquired the international sale rights, excluding Canada, to writer-director Jason Sherman’s documentary My Tree.

Produced by Sherman’s Toronto-based Some Canadian banner and Toronto-based prodco Hawkeye Pictures, the film – which recently made its world premiere at the Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in the Canadian Spectrum program – follows the Canadian playwright, screenwriter and director’s journey to Israel to find the origins of a tree that was planted in his name 40 years ago.

Supported by the Canada Council For the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council and the Toronto Arts Council, My Tree also features music from composer David Wall, cinematography by John Minh Tran, editing by Ben Lawrence and sees Wildling Pictures president Matt Code serve as executive producer.

The deal for the film was negotiated by WaZabi co-presidents Anick Poirier and Lorne Price with Hawkeye Pictures’ Aeschylus Poulos on behalf of Sherman.

Notably, WaZabi plans to introduce the film to buyers at the virtual Cannes market, where it will also be selling writer-director Marion Hill’s Ma Belle, My Beauty (U.S./France).

“My Tree is a profoundly emotional and revelatory film that does what the best documentaries do: it keeps you completely engaged as it tells you things you never knew,” said Price in a statement.

“The film showed me that the regional conflict has so many layers that touch aspects of everyday life,” added WaZabi’s Poirier.

Last year, WaZabi Films acquired the world rights, excluding Canada, to director Tracey Deer’s feature film Beans. This March, WaZabi unveiled an agreement with New York-based distributor FilmRise for the coming-of-age story in the U.S.