Icelandic producer Hlín Jóhannsdóttir of Ursus Parvus has signed with French-UK sales company Alief to handle her latest project, the coming-of-age drama "Just a Kid" ("Bara barn"), directed by newcomer Vala Ómarsdóttir. The deal reunites Jóhannsdóttir with collaborators from her earlier film "Driving Mum" and continues her track record of backing debut features by emerging female directors, ahead of the project's pitch at New Nordic Films' Works in Progress event in Haugesund on 27 August.

The film follows 16-year-old Júlía, who moves from Norway to Iceland and struggles to balance caring for her younger sister with settling into a new school, before a traumatic incident from a drunken night forces her to confront shame and family responsibility. Alief, which has provided a minimum guarantee for the project, previously sold Jóhannsdóttir's "Quake" to more than 20 territories. The film is co-produced with Estonian producer Marianne Ostrat of Alexandra Film, known for the Sundance-winning "Smoke Sauna Sisterhood," continuing an existing partnership between the two production companies.