“The Little Sister,” Hafsia Herzi‘s feature that earlier this year won Cannes‘ best actress award for Nadia Melliti and the Queer Palm after bowing in competition at the festival, has been acquired for the U.S.
Strand Releasing has bought the film, which will have its next major festival appearance in Toronto. The deal was negotiated by Strand’s Jon Gerrans and mk2’s Quentin Bohanna.
Directed by French actress and filmmaker Herzi, “The Little Sister” is a coming-of-age story about a French-Algerian teenager exploring her sexuality while navigating her Muslim faith.
Adapted from the novel by Fatima Daas, the film follows 17-year-old Fatima (Melliti), the youngest of three daughters, who is forced to tread carefully as she searches for her own path, grappling with emerging desires, her attraction to women and her loyalty to her caring French-Algerian family. Starting at university in Paris, she dates, makes friends and explores a whole new world, all while confronting a timeless and heartrending dilemma: How can one stay true to oneself when reconciling different parts of one’s identity feels impossible?
“We’re thrilled to have this innovative film,” Gerrans said in a statement. “‘The Little Sister’ beautifully portrays a young person’s journey and self discovery in ways that are so thrillingly true.”
Strand plans for a spring 2026 theatrical release after a festival tour around the U.S. in key cities.
“After an amazing festival run which started with Cannes Official Competition — being the only French film to win a prize in that section — followed by a raft of sales, getting the film released in the U.S. has been a real priority for us,” said June Film producers Julie Billy and Naomi Denature. “We are thrilled that ‘The Little Sister’ will be released by Strand Releasing, whose talent for releasing bold international films has always impressed us.”
They added: “This will be be the first film of Hafsia Herzi’s to be shown in the U.S., and we couldn’t be more excited for her to count among the new voices of international cinema for the American film lovers.”
A two-time Cesar-winning actress for “The Secret of the Grain” in 2008 and “Borgo” this year, Herzi made her directorial feature debut with 2019’s “You Deserve a Lover.” Her second feature, 2021’s “Good Mother,” competed in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard competition and won the ensemble prize.
