Israeli-born Ari Folman had his breakthrough with the animated film Waltz with Bashir that competed for a Palme d’or in Cannes 2008.

According to Variety, his new feature The Horse Boy will be adapted from Rupert Isaacson’s novel of the same name. It’s the story of a couple and their autistic son as they trek on horseback through outer Mongolia in an attempt to treat his condition with shamanic healing. The book is based on Isaacson’s own life experience, that he himself brought to the screens in the documentary The Horse Boy selected at the Sundance Film Festival 2009.
Folman’s fiction version is produced by France’s Laurent Baudens and Gael nouaille (Borsalino/Full House), Didar Domehi (Maneki/Full House), Belgium’s Diana Elbaum (Beluga Tree). Co-producers are Sweden’s Lizette Jonjic (Zentropa Sweden), Belgium’s Proximus/Monte Rosso Production, France 2 Cinéma and France’s Gaumont who will also handle world sales.

Zentropa Sweden’s Lizette Jonjic told nordicfilmandtvnews.com she was approached by Belgian producer Diana Elbaum whom she met at a EAVE producers training workshop. “Now that we have signed with the major actors – Léa Seydoux and Joel Kinnaman - we have to decide on the rest of the cast and crew and creative split between the various co-producers,” said Jonjic.

Zentropa Sweden’s other major international co-production is Out Stealing Horses directed by Norway’s Hans Petter Moland based on Per Petterson’s best-selling novel. Stellan Skargård, Bjørn Floberg and Anders Baasmo Christiansen play the title roles in the drama currently in production for 4 ½ Fiksjon Norway. TrustNordisk is pre-selling it in Cannes.

Jonjic is now the main producer at Zentropa Sweden following the departure of Madeleine Ekman who just started on May 2 as feature film commissioner at the Swedish Film Institute.