EXCLUSIVE: Rotana Studios has acquired a slew of rights to Ahmad Abdalla’s Rags And Tatters, which is receiving its world premiere in Toronto’s Contemporary World Cinema section.

Egyptian production house Film Clinic struck the deal with Rotana which includes TV networks in the Middle East, DVD, online streaming and worldwide in-flight entertainment. Film Clinic has theatrical rights in the Middle East and the film will be released in Egyptian cinemas in October.

Set in the aftermath of the Egyptian revolution, Rags And Tatters follows a fugitive, played by Asser Yassin, who has escaped from prison and is seeking shelter. It was shot in Ezbet El Zabbaleen – a 30,000-strong settlement of rag-pickers on the outskirts of Cairo, which has rarely been seen on film.

US-based sales company Visit Films is repping Rags And Tatters outside the MENA region at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Abdalla’s credits include award-winning drama Microphone, about Egypt’s underground music scene, which portrayed the spirit of the country’s youth in the run-up to the revolution.