Academy award-winning actress Angelina Jolie’s feature film directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, has picked up a distributor at Cannes, and will be released December 23, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
Written and directed by Jolie, the film has been described as a love story set against the backdrop of the Bosnian civil war in the 1990s. Jolie does not appear in the film, but her humanitarian work has been well-documented.
The Oscar winner is a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador and has visited hot spots such as Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Kenya, Namibia, Sri Lanka, and Haiti among others, to assist and draw attention to the plight of refugees around the globe. Jolie has starred in two films that showcase those passions, Beyond Borders and A Mighty Heart.
“The film is specific to the Bosnian War, but it’s also universal,” said Jolie, “I wanted to tell a story of how human relationships and behavior are deeply affected by living inside a war.”
The wartime romance features local actors Zana Marjanovic, Goran Kostic and Rade Serbedzija, and was shot simultaneously in English and Serbo-Croatian.
“The former Yugoslavia has a rich history of dramatic arts. The cast was extraordinary. I was privileged and honored to work with them and I am very excited for everyone to see their immense talent,” Jolie added.
Produced by GK Films, its new subsidiary FilmDistrict will be distributing the English-language version of the film.
“Working with Angelina on this film and story has been a great collaboration and I am extremely proud of this film,” said Graham King at GK Films. “The filmmaking is impeccable, and signals the arrival of a visceral and compelling storyteller.”
Today (May 16), Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt appear on the Cannes red carpet for the premiere of Terence Malick’s The Tree of Life starring Pitt.