EXCLUSVE: Sarah Gadon (Alias Grace), Tom Hughes (Victoria), Robert Kazinsky (Pacific Rim), and Tamer Hassan (Layer Cake) have been set to lead Iron Ribbon, a UK independent feature based on the true story of Polish actress Stanisława “Stasia” Umińska, whose 1920s Paris trial became a landmark crime-of-passion case.
Gadon will play Stanisława “Stasia” Umińska, “an ambitious actress at the center of a sensational case that gripped Paris after she was accused of killing her lover, artist Jan Zyznowski — and ultimately acquitted in what became one of the earliest high-profile “mercy killing” trials.
Hughes will portray Zyznowski, with Kazinsky playing Donat Guigne (The Prosecutor), Hassan set as Arnold Szyfman, and Lee Knight (Hamlet) will portray Tuwim.
Written by Adam Howes (Foxhole) and due to be directed by Jarek Marszewski (Bikini Blue), with cinematography by Michał Sobociński (Chopin! Chopin!), the film is set against the backdrop of Jazz Age Paris.
The film is being produced by Daniella Gonella’s DG Productions, with principal photography aimed for late 2026. Producers are Gonella, Lee Thomas, Jay Michaelson and Rosa Russo. The project is currently in pre-production with the producers and actor Hassan set to attend the Cannes market where they’ll be discussing it with potential partners.
Crew will include Oscar- and BAFTA-winning sound designer Glenn Freemantle (Gravity) and BAFTA-nominated editor John Wilson (Billy Elliot). Composer Edmund Butt (Yellowstone) is attached, alongside storyboard artist Temple Clark (Gravity), location manager Elliott Meddings (Skyfall), and production lawyer Richard Moxon (The Queen).