Strand Releasing buys North American rights to The Daughters of Abraham
Strand Releasing has acquired North American rights to The Daughters of Abraham, the debut feature from French director Hanaël El Yousfi. The deal, reported by Deadline on 15 October 2026, covers the United States and Canada. Strand plans to release the film in North America in 2027.
The agreement was brokered by Alice Lesort of Losange Films with Marcus Hu and Jon Gerrans of Strand Releasing. Lesort is head of international sales at Paris-based Losange Films, the company selling the film to buyers abroad. In simple terms, a sales agent offers a film territory by territory, and a distributor then buys the right to put it into cinemas and onto home platforms in its own patch. That split is standard for independent and foreign-language titles travelling outside their home market.
The Daughters of Abraham had its international premiere in the Discovery section at the 2026 Toronto International Film Festival. Toronto lists the film as the opening title of Discovery, its programme for first and second-time directors, according to TIFF. An international premiere means the first screening outside the film's home country. The 2026 festival ran from 10 to 20 September.
The festival run is continuing on two fronts. The film is set for its Latin American premiere at the Sao Paulo Film Festival, its first screening in that region. It will open in France on 30 December. It has already taken two prizes in France, the Audience Award and a Special Prize for the cast at the Angoulême Francophone Film Festival.
Behind the camera, the film was written by El Yousfi with Raphaël Chevènement and Mia Grace Brown. A debut feature is a director's first full-length film for cinemas. It was produced by Charles Gillibert for CG Cinéma, with the producer overseeing finance and production through to delivery.
On screen, the film stars Mélissa Guers, Ava Baya and Gabriella Cohen. The cast prize at Angoulême recognised the ensemble rather than a single performance. Full release details for North America, including theatres and dates, will come from Strand.
Strand Releasing is a US distributor of foreign-language films, American independents and documentaries, working across theatres, DVD and Blu-ray and video-on-demand, according to the company's own site. The company was founded in 1989. That long history includes many festival titles moving from an international launch into a North American release.
For audiences in North America, the deal gives the film a home and a calendar slot. A 2027 release leaves room for the Sao Paulo screening and the French opening to come first. What comes next is the usual rollout work of dating, booking and publicity.
