Brighton, U.K.-based Espresso Media International has picked up international sales rights to the documentary The Forbidden University ahead of this year’s MIPCOM.

Espresso will launch international sales for the film next week at the Cannes market, which runs from Oct. 13 to 16. West Wind Releasing is handling distribution in Canada.

The project marks the directorial debut of Nauzanin Knight, co-founder and executive producer at Edmonton-based 1844 Studios. Knight’s mother and fellow 1844 co-founder, Mitra Knight, serves as a producer on the documentary. The film is coproduced with L.A.-based creator network and production company Companion Arts, which provided the full funding for the production.

The Forbidden University chronicles the history of Iran’s underground Bahá’í Institution for Higher Education (BIHE), the hidden education network that services the Bahá’í religious minority in Iran. Denied access to universities by the government, the BIHE’s students and teachers pursue learning in clandestine classrooms and makeshift learning spaces throughout the country, under constant threat of raids and imprisonment.

The doc employs a hybrid format that combines interviews and dramatic re-enactments with rotoscope animation and advanced visual effects to recreate the BIHE’s secretive world. The VFX team is led by Academy Award-nominated supervisor Habib Zargarpour (Blade Runner 2049) and associate VFX supervisor Setareh Samandari (Dark Asset), who also serve as executive producers on the film.

Among the other executive producers on the project are actor and producer Penn Badgley, star of the Netflix series You; Bonnie Thompson, the Genie-winning producer of such documentaries as Radiant City, Angry Inuk and Singing Back the Buffalo; Emmy- and Peabody Award-winning producer Neda Armian (Rachel Getting Married, Adaptation); and Companion Arts president Ford Bowers.

“This film blends innovation and purpose,” said 1844’s Mitra Knight in a statement. “We’re excited to partner with buyers and partners who recognize the value of global storytelling with real-world impact.”

Image courtesy of 1844 Studios