Jul 25, 2017

World Premiere of "The Breadwinner" of cartoon saloon set for Toronto

Nora Twomey's The Breadwinner will have its world premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival, the organizers of the event announced this morning.

The Breadwinner is based on the novel of the same name by Deborah Ellis, telling the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan who, after her father's imprisonment, disguises herself as a boy to become the family's 'breadwinner.' Ellis wrote the screen story, and Anita Doron delivered the screenplay.

An Ireland-Canada-Luxembourg co-production, Breadwinner originated out of Kilkenny, Ireland's Cartoon Saloon, with the additional involvement of Canada's Aircraft Pictures and Guru Studio, and Luxembourg's Melusine Productions. GKIDS is set to distribute in the United States; the film also marks the first time that GKIDS is serving in a producing and financing capacity on a feature film.

Cartoon Saloon's last feature film, Tomm Moore's Song of the Sea, also had its world premiere at Toronto. That film, as well as Cartoon Saloon's first feature production, The Secret of Kells, were both nominated for Academy Awards.

To learn more behind-the-scenes insights on the production of The Breadwinner, read our recent in-depth interview with director Nora Twomey.