The film adaptation of Deborah Ellis’s internationally bestselling 2000 novel The Breadwinner (Groundwood Books) – the first in a children’s series about an 11-year-old in Kabul who disguises herself as a boy to make money for her family – will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

The 94-minute animated film is directed by Nora Twomey at Cartoon Saloon and executive produced by Angelina Jolie Pitt under her Jolie Pas Productions banner. Tomm Moore and Paul Young at Cartoon Saloon, Andrew Rosen and Anthony Leo at Aircraft Pictures, and Stephan Roelants at Melusine Productions co-produced.

Aircraft’s Rosen says in a press release, “We’re thrilled to have The Breadwinner premiere at TIFF – to be able to share it with Deborah and the Canadian fans of the book first will be a genuinely uplifting moment for us.”

Groundwood will publish a movie tie-in edition of the book in August, while a graphic-novel take is coming in January 2018.