Ed Noeltner’s Cinema Management Group has acquired international rights to Tim Disney’s civil rights drama American Violetand will commence sales in Cannes next month.

Samuel Goldwyn Films will release the film in North America on April 17 on approximately 80 prints.

American Violet was inspired by an extraordinary true story first reported on National Public Radio about a 24-year-old single mother from Texas who fought back after she was wrongfully arrested in a drug raid during the time of the 2000 Bush-Gore Presidential election.

Newcomer Nicole Beharie stars alongside Alfre Woodward, Michael O’Keefe, Charles S Dutton, Tim Blake Nelson, and Will Patton. Disney’s Uncommon Productions partner Bill Haney wrote and produced.

’American Violet, much like the American classic In The Heat Of The Night did in 1967, powerfully evokes the issues of racial prejudice in America,’ Noeltner said. ‘This is also a universal story of those who are powerless but who do not let injustice stand in their way and are willing to fight for what is right. It’s a must-see film.’

Uncommon Productions formed in 2000 and has produced the Oscar shortlisted The Price Of Sugar and other documentaries such as Racing Against The Clock, A Life Among Whales, and Gift Of The Game. Narrative features include Tempesta, A Question Of Faith, and Crusade: A March Through Time.

Noeltner’s Cannes slate includes the martial arts revenge tale Blood & Bone starring Michael Jai White, the $10m animated feature Zambezia, and the documentary All Together Now, which recently screened at the EFM and goes behind the scenes of Cirque Du Soleil’s Beatles show Love.

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