Weinsteins to release ‘Miral’ in North America

According to Variety, The Weinstein Co. has acquired North American rights to Miral, directed by Julian Schnabel.

The film centers on a real-life orphanage established in Jerusalem by Palestinian woman Hind Husseini (Hiam Abbass) following the 1948 creation of Israel. Freida Pinto stars as the title character who is sent to the orphanage in 1978, and later teaches at a refugee camp where she falls for an activist.

Willem Dafoe and Vanessa Redgrave co-star. Palestinian writer Rula Jebreal adapted the screenplay from her own novel.

Miral is expected to screen at the Venice Film Festival before TWC releases the film later this year in time for an awards push, which comes as no surprise considering its principals’ high-profile pedigree and the film’s politically charged subject matter.

“It is the first film I am involved in that shows the ‘other side’ of the Israel-Palestine conflict,” Harvey Weinstein told Variety. “As a staunch supporter of Israel, I thought this would be a movie I would have a hard time wrapping my head around. However, meeting Rula moved me to open my heart and mind and I hope we can do the same with audiences worldwide.”

Jon Kilik (Babel) produced the picture, which Pathe holds worldwide rights to, having sold the movie in several other international territories.