November 6, 2016: Indian filmmaker Leena Yadav, who helmed the acclaimed film "Parched", has signed on to direct "Secret Sky", the true and tragic love story between teenage boys in Iran, where homosexuality is illegal and punishable by the death penalty.
Carol Polakoff's Viewfinder Pictures and Daniel Dreifuss's Anima Pictures are developing the human rights film based on a true story, reports the online Hollywood Reporter.
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It follows the two teens as they are put in prison, go to trial and pay the price for their crimes. A female lawyer, inspired by a real person, attempts to fight for their freedom.
Micah Schraft and Abdi Nazemian are writing the film, which is planned as Yadav's English-language debut. Gersh represents Yadav and Viewfinder, and is presenting the film to foreign buyers this week at American Film Market & Conferences (AFM). It's slated to be shot in 2017.
"This story, though political in nature and about civil rights, must be delivered through the heart and Leena has shown that she can make a beautiful film… But also deliver a socially impactful punch," Polakoff said.
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"She has uncommon courage and passion, and holds nothing back," she added.
Yadav's most recently "Parched", which followed the lives of four women in rural India who rebel against century-old cultural practices and patriarchal traditions, and break free to explore the true meaning of what it is like to be alive. (IANS)