Freida Pinto and Vanessa Redgrave are working on the adaptation of “Boy at the Back of the Class” (EXCLUSIVE)

Vanessa Redgrave and Freida Pinto star in the family feature film “The Boy in the Back of the Classroom,” based on the acclaimed children’s book.

Directed by Stephen Herek (“101 Dalmatians”), the film centers on a mysterious new boy named Ahmet who joins nine-year-old Alexa’s school. As Alexa learns that he is a refugee, separated from his family, she will do everything she can to help him. With the adults away, Alexa and her school friends hatch a daring plan to reunite Ahmet with his family – the start of an adventure that will take them all the way to Buckingham Palace.

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The film is written by “A Street Cat Named Bob” screenwriter Tim John. Adam Rolston and David Braithwaite of Studio Pictures produce. Nicola Pearcey of Picnik Entertainment and Paul Grindey are executive producers. The casting director is BAFTA nominee Carolyn McLeod.

“The Boy at the Back of the Classroom,” written by Onjali Q. Rauf, has sold more than half a million copies in the United Kingdom. First published in 2018, the book has won several awards, including the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize, the Blue Peter Book Award, the Sheffield Children’s Book Award and the Janusz Kor-czak Prize in France.

The film will go into production later this year. WestEnd handles worldwide sales at the European Film Market, which runs alongside the Berlin Film Festival. Gersh co-represents North American rights.

Vanessa Redgrave is repped by Gavin Barker Associates and CAA, and Freida Pinto is repped by CAA and Principal Entertainment LA.

WestEnd’s EFM lineup also includes new political thriller “Untitled Judo,” co-directed by Academy Award winner Guy Nattiv and Zar Amir Ebrahimi; the new Woody Allen film “Coup de Chance”; and Cartoon Saloon’s new animated feature film, “Puffin Rock and the New Friends.”

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