Sony Pictures International Productions has acquired global rights to the award-winning comedy Americanish, marking the feature directorial debut of Iman Zawahry. Specifics as to plans for the pic’s distribution have not yet been disclosed.
Written by Aizzah Fatima and Zawahry, Americanish follows sisters Sam (Aizzah Fatima) and Maryam Khan (Salena Qureshi), and their cousin Ameera (Shenaz Treasury), as they navigate love, careers and familial pressures in Jackson Heights, Queens.
Zawahry’s first feature won the Audience Award in its 2021 world premiere at San Francisco’s CAAMFest before going on to win a total of 25 awards at festivals around the world. Pic’s cast also includes Mo‘s Mo Amer, as well as Lillette Dubey (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Kapil Talwalkar (Charmed), Ajay Naidu (The Good Nurse), Godfrey (South Side), George Wendt (Christmas with the Campbells), David Rasche (Succession), Natasha Chandel (SEAL Team), Purva Bedi (One Of Us Is Lying) and Anuja Joshi (The Resident).
Producers on the pic are Roy Wol of Studio Autonomous, Paul Seetachitt and Maddie Shapiro. Exec producers are Tarak Ben Ammar, Mohannad Malas and Ann Chaudhary. Sony Pictures International Productions negotiated its deal for Americanish with Yasmine Abdel-Aal and Peter Kaufman of Kaufman Abdel-Aal LLP.
Creatives from the film will be on hand to celebrate its acquisition during a January 22 panel at the Sundance Film Festival, sponsored by the MPAC Hollywood Bureau Muslim House and the Islamic Scholarship Fund. The event is open to the public, with RSVPs being accepted at this link.
