Rome-based sales outfit Buskin Film has picked up worldwide rights to Mother Viper, an English-language World War II drama which is written and composed by the award-winning Life Is Beautiful team.

Directed by Italy's Sergio Citti, Mother Viper is about a woman's betrayal of her young daughter and her husband, played by Harvey Keitel. Veteran Italian actor Giancarlo Giannini, Larissa Volpentesta and Elide Melli also star.

The film's above-the-line credits include writer Vincenzo Cerami and composer Nicola Piovani, who both won a raft of awards for their work on Roberto Benigni's 1997 hit, Life is Beautiful.

Mother Viper, which has a budget of $5m, was produced by Cosmo Production with the collaboration of Rai Cinema.