Cartoon Saloon, the studio behind Academy Award nominated films The Secret of Kells and Song of the Sea will be back in 2017 with The Breadwinner, an all-new 2D animated film based off the acclaimed children’s novel of the same name by Deborah Ellis. Yesterday, it was announced by the studio that director, producer, and actress Angelina Jolie joined the project as an executive producer.

Check out a new promo picture for the film below:

Angelina Jolie’s personal company, Jolie Pas Productions, will cooperate with Cartoon Saloon and its international partners Aircraft Pictures from Canada and Mélusine Productions from Luxembourg. Besides working in the film industry as an actress, director, and producer, Jolie also works actively on many projects for the United Nations that support girls like Parvana, the film’s protagonist, in real life.

“Millions of young girls like Parvana are growing up today under oppression or conflict, and helping their families to survive in those conditions,” Jolie said in a press release. “This story is a reminder of the immense value of their contribution. I am delighted to be working with a talented team of artists who I know will do justice to the richness, creativity and strength of Afghan culture and to little girls like Parvana.”

The Breadwinner is the story of Parvana, a young girl living under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, who must disguise herself as a boy and become the breadwinner of the family when her father is unfairly imprisoned. The Breadwinner celebrates the culture, history, and beauty of Afghanistan. An additional version of the film will be produced in Dari in addition to the English language version.

The film will be directed by Nora Twomey with a screenplay by Anita Doron and Deborah Ellis. The Breadwinner is expected to hit theaters in 2017.

What do you think of this news? Are you looking forward to The Breadwinner?

Edited by: Hannah Wilkes