Beta Cinema has taken international sales rights on English-language investigative political thriller Keep Her Quiet, co-starring for Zar Amir, Jonathan Pryce and Amir El-Masry.
Amir (Holy Spider) plays Washington D.C.–based journalist, 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.
It is the second feature from UK-German director Franz Böhm who won a Bafta in 2025 for his Ukraine War-themed short film Rock Paper Scissors, which then made it onto the short list for Best Live Action Short for the 98th Academy Awards but was not nominated.
Munich-based Uyghur filmmaker Suli Kurban, who fled political persecution in Xinjiang with her family in 1999, co-directs bringing her personal experiences and heritage to the project. Her previous credits include the 2014 documentary Run, Don’t Walk and short film Hayat: Leben.
El-Masry also features in the film, fresh from his appearance in Giant, with the cast also featuring rising Uyghur talent Bahargul Basco, the UK’s Hiftu Quasem (Something in the Water), and Eleanor Matsuura (Wonder Woman, Spooks).
The political thriller 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 & David Bohun, producers of The Theory of Everything). Executive producers include Malte Grunert, Anita Gou, Caroline Clark, and Kristina Börjeson.
“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,” said Schubert.
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. Beta Cinema will launch international sales at the Berlinale’s European Film Market, running from February 12 to 18.
English (US) ·