World sales company company The Match Factory has boarded Icelandic director-screenwriter Ísold Uggadóttir’s feature film debut, “And Breathe Normally,” which is being shopped to international buyers at the ongoing Cannes Film Market.

The film follows an Icelandic mother and a refugee from Guinea-Bissau at pivotal moments in their lives, whose paths cross.

Official synopsis: On the outskirts of Iceland’s main airport, the lives of two women cross – just briefly – while confined in unforeseen circumstances. An asylum-seeker (Babetida Sadjo) and a struggling Icelandic single mother (Kristín Thóra Haraldsdóttir) form an unlikely bond. Both are fighting to get their lives back on track.

Currently in post-production, “And Breathe Normally” is being sold as the first Icelandic film to take on current immigration issues.

Says producer of the film, Skuli Malmquist, who further adds to our expectations of it: “Ísold Uggadóttir has in recent years proven herself as one of Iceland’s most exciting filmmakers. She is particularly interested in narratives imbued with social realism that capture distinct emotional moments of human existence.”

French actress Babetida Sadjo (originally from Guinea-Bissau, the West African country), who co-stars in the film (and is in the above first-look image) is an actress whose work I need to get familiar with, as this is my introduction to her. Her IMDB page lists credits that go back to 2007, appearing in a number of French, German, Belgian and Icelandic films; a few appear to have been released in the USA, so I’ll be hunting them down to get familiar.

In addition to Kristín Thóra Haraldsdóttir and Babetida Sadjo, “And Breathe Normally” also stars Icelandic actor Patrik Nökkvi Pétursson

The film is co-produced by Zik Zak Filmworks, Entre Chien et Loup, and Cinenic Films.

No trailer at this time; just the above image.