Period romance debuted at Sundance.

Ali and Nino

IFC Films has acquired North American rights to Asif Kapadia’s Ali & Nino following its premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January. The deal was secured through worldwide sales agent IM Global, which is selling international rights at the Cannes Marche next week, and CAA.

The love story is an adaptation of Kurban Said’s 1937 bestseller and stars Adam Bakri (Omar) and Maria Valverde (Exodus: Gods and Kings) as a Muslim Azerbaijani boy and Christian Georgian girl in Baku from 1918 to 1920. The cast includes Mandy Patinkin (Homeland) and Connie Nielsen (Gladiator, Wonder Woman).

Kapadia, who won the documentary Oscar earlier this year with Amy Winehouse biopic Amy, directed from a screenplay by Christopher Hampton (Dangerous Liaisons).

Producer is Kris Thykier (Trash, Woman in Gold) and executive producer is Leyla Aliyeva.