Fortissimo Films has taken worldwide rights (outside the Middle East and North America) on Amin Matalqa's Captain Abu Raed.
The film won the World Cinema Audience Award at Sundance and Best Actor for Nadim Sawalha at Dubai.
Captain Abu Raed marks the first feature from Jordan to be exported internationally.
Fortissimo will give the film its market premiere at Hong Kong Filmart, followed by a screening in the Cannes Market.
The deal was negotiated between Fortissimo Films' co-chairman Michael J. Werner and David Pritchard, president of Gigapix Studios who also represents production partner Paper & Pen Films.
On making the announcement, Fortissimo's Werner stated, 'Aside from being a breakthrough for Jordanian cinema, Captain Abu Raed succeeds in crossing cultural barriers to touch us all with its universal message of hopes and dreams. We are thrilled to be working with producer David Pritchard and director Amin Matalqa in bringing this beautiful story to the world.'
The film is about an airport janitor who amuses local kids with stories of the exotic places he's never been.
Reviewing the film for Screen International, Lee Marshall wrote: 'Amin Matalqa's film has the potential to be the Middle East breakout title of 2008.'
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