Paris-based company The Party Film Sales has closed a raft of sales on “We Believe You,” a gripping family custody drama directed by Charlotte Devillers and Arnaud Dufeys, following its premiere at the Berlinale.

The film, which is produced by Makintosh Films, bowed in the newly-launched Perspectives section where it won a Special Mention.

“We Believe You” tells the story of Alice, a mother fighting for her children’s safety in a harrowing custody battle, accusing their father of a crime. Standing before a judge, she must speak up to protect them from their father before it’s too late.

The film stars Myriem Akheddiou in the lead role, known for her work in the Dardenne brothers’ Young Ahmed, alongside Laurent Capelluto (“Playground,” “Mr Nobody”), Natali Broods (“Façades”), and rising young talents Ulysse Goffin and Adèle Pinckaers. “We Believe You” follows Dufeys’s short “Invincible Summer” which played at last year’s Berlin Film Festival.

The Party Film Sales has closed Germany with Eksystent, Switzerland with Frenetic, Austria with Filmladen, Ex-Yugoslavia with Fivia, Hungary with Budapest Film, Greece with One From the Heart, Czech Republic and Slovakia with Artcam, Ukraine with KyivMusicFilm, Portugal with Zero Em Comportamento and Indonesia with Falcon Film. Deals were previously closed with Spain (Filmin and Karma), Benelux (O’Brother) and France (Jour2fête).

In an interview with Variety ahead of the Berlinale, Devilliers said she was inspired to tell this story based on her experiences working as a nurse. “We meet victims of sexual assault, and some of them reveal incest to us. It’s something I know well from my work.”
 
“As a nurse, I’m always observing and listening. These are the tools that allow us to see if a child is not doing well, to foresee problems and hopefully prevent them from happening. These were the tools I used to write the script and work on the film.”

“We Believe You” was produced with the support of the Light Production Scheme of the Centre du Cinéma de la Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles de Belgique, with the backing of Loterie Nationale, Be TV, the RTBF, Proximus, and the Belgian federal tax shelter via Shelter Prod/ING.