EXCLUSIVE: Paris-based Paradise City Sale has acquired world sales rights to Sara Ishaq’s debut feature The Station ahead of its world premiere in Cannes Critics’ Week in May.
The film was among seven features announced for Cannes Critics’ Week’s competition on Monday, with the parallel section due to showcase 11 features in total in its 65 th edition running from May 13 to 21.
The rare Yemen set-drama, revolves round Layal who runs a women-only petrol station, which is a rare safe haven for its female clients in a war-torn country. There, the rules are simple: no men, no weapons, no politics. When Layal’s younger brother faces enlistment, she reunites with her estranged sister to save the one life they still can.
Ishaq first gained international recognition with her Oscar and BAFTA-nominated short documentary Karama Has No Walls (2012). Her personal documentary, The Mulberry House, premiered at IDFA and screened at festivals worldwide.
Co-written by Ishaq and Nadia Eliewat, The Station has undergone a lengthy and high-profile development and production journey, with the project winning the main award for best film in post-production at the Final Cut in Venice program in 2025.
The screenplay draws inspiration from real events witnessed by Ishaq in Sanaa, her hometown, where she discovered a women-only petrol station, a unique space bringing together women from diverse backgrounds and regions, all united by a shared purpose: sustaining their families in a time of war.
“The world of The Station distills what I cherish about Yemeni society into a fragile utopia, constantly shadowed by turmoil beyond its walls. It is a speculative space rooted in Yemen but not confined to a specific time or place, and reflected through an absurd and sometimes exaggerated parallel reality,” said Ishaq of the film.
“The Station is less about war itself than about its consequences. At its core, this film is about people in all their complexity, contradiction and resilience. It is an ode to the people of Yemen, who have endured years of war with dignity, humour and strength.”
Paradise City Sales, which was previously known as Memento International, has been following the production’s progress for some time.
“We were completely seduced by The Station, with its unique cinematic perspective set in a world rarely portrayed on screen. The film finds light within darkness, offering a heartwarming story of womanhood, family and resilience, set against deeply dramatic circumstances that resonate with urgent relevance today,” said the company.
The film is produced by Screen Project (Jordan), a Ta Films Company led by Nadia Eliewat, with Georges Films (France). Co-producers include One Two Films (Germany), Keplerfilm (Netherlands), Barentsfilm (Norway), Setara Films (Yemen), The Imaginarium Films (Jordan) and SiamFilms (Egypt).
The project is also in co-production with ARTE and ZDF / Das kleine Fernsehspiel, and in association with Kalamata Film and Raxicon Private Capital Advisory.
In a sign of what it takes to get a film like this off the ground, The Station is supported by Jordan Film Fund, Doha Film Institute, Arab Fund For Arts And Culture, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, Aide Aux Cinémas Du Monde, Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée, Institut français, Région Île-De-France/ Paris Region, Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg, FFA – Filmförderungsanstalt, Hubert Bals Fund + Netherlands Film Fund, Hubert Bals Fund + Europe, NL Production Incentive, Sørfond, Norwegian Ministry Of Foreign Affairs, and Eurimages.
Paradise City Sales’ current slate also includes post-production titles Titanic Ocean by Konstantina Kotzamani, A Girl’s Story by Judith Godrèche, Baran: Inheritance by Joel Soh and Love Lessons by Martin Provost.
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