Ilona Bachelier as the title character in “The Story of Annette Zelman.” Photo: Menemsha Films

Menemsha Films has bought the North American rights to a movie based on the true story of a Jewish woman in France who was reported to the Gestapo by her fiancé’s father and sent to the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Holocaust, the distribution company announced on Tuesday.

The Story of Annette Zelman from France’s Film & Picture Distribution is a wartime drama based on real events described in the book Dénoncer les Juifs sous l’Occupation (Informing on Jews during the Occupation) by Laurent Joly.

The French-language film takes place in 1940’s Nazi-occupied Paris and focuses on Zelman and her Catholic fiancé Jean Jausion. They met when they were students at a French art school, fell in love, and wanted to get married, but Jausion’s father was opposed to their union and took measures into his own hands to ensure the couple remained apart. He reported Zelman’s Jewish identity to the Nazis and soon after she was arrested and deported to Auschwitz, where she ultimately died. Driven to despair by Zelman’s disappearance and his father’s role in the ordeal, Jausion committed suicide in 1945.

The film, directed by Philippe Le Guay, stars Ilona Bachelier as the title character alongside a cast that includes Vassili Schneider, Julie Gayet, Laurent Lucas, Guilaine Londez and François Creton.

Menemsha Films will premiere The Story of Annette Zelman in the North American film festival circuit with the hopes of releasing it in theaters during the first quarter of 2024. The distribution company said the “true-life Romeo and Juliet-esque tale” has “added resonance with the recent rise of antisemitism.”

Neil Friedman, founder and president of Menemsha Films, said the movie “is a true discovery in all its magnificence, highlighted by the captivating lead performance of young French actress Ilona Bachelier. The film is a heartfelt drama with true emotions that we are confident audiences will adore.”