Political Thriller ‘Keep Her Quiet,’ Starring ‘Holy Spider’ Actress Zar Amir, Jonathan Pryce, Amir El-Masry, Boarded by Beta Cinema

Beta Cinema has come on board to handle worldwide sales for “Keep Her Quiet,” an upcoming English-language investigative thriller, starring Zar Amir, who won best actress at Cannes for “Holy Spider,” Jonathan Pryce, who was Oscar nominated for “The Two Popes,” and Amir El-Masry, who starred in “Limbo” and “Giant.” The project was previously announced exclusively by Variety.

Beta Cinema will launch international sales at the upcoming European Film Market.

“Keep Her Quiet” follows a Washington, D.C.-based journalist, played by Amir, whose investigation into unexplained disappearances in Western China puts her and her family in danger.

The film is inspired by the true story of investigative journalists whose reporting brought international attention to the crisis, and by numerous survivor accounts of China’s ongoing “re-education” program in Xinjiang.

The film is directed by Franz Böhm and is co-directed by Uyghur filmmaker Suli Kurban. Böhm’s debut feature documentary “Dear Future Children” won the audience award at Hot Docs in 2021, and, last year, he won the BAFTA for best British short film for “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” Kurban fled political persecution in Xinjiang with her family in 1999. Kurban previously co-directed the documentary “Run, Don’t Walk” (2014) and wrote and directed the short film “Hayat: Leben” (2019).

Also in the cast are rising Uyghur talent Bahargul Basco, the U.K.’s Hiftu Quasem (“Something in the Water,” “Killing Eve”), and Eleanor Matsuura (“Wonder Woman,” “Spooks”).

“Keep Her Quiet” is produced by Johannes Schubert of German-Austrian outfit Schubert, producer of this year’s Berlinale competition title “Rose,” and Jessica Hausner’s Cannes competition title “Club Zero.” He is joined by Switzerland’s Contrast Film (Stefan Eichenberger), Sweden’s Plattform Produktion (Erik Hemmendorff, producer of “Triangle of Sadness,” “Force Majeure,” “The Square”), and Austria’s Panama Film (Lixi Frank and David Bohun, producers of “The Theory of Everything”). Executive producers include Malte Grunert, Anita Gou, Caroline Clark and Kristina Börjeson.

Schubert said, “The film combines creative authenticity with escalating urgency, unfolding as a classic high-stakes political thriller driven by fearless journalism and the real-world dangers of confronting oppression.”

Currently in post-production, the film is already set for distribution across German-speaking territories, with Pandora Film (Germany), Filmladen Filmverleih (Austria), and Filmcoopi (Switzerland) aboard.