International sales company Salaud Morisset has secured a wave of territorial deals for Iranian director Ali Asgari's new drama A Bit of Light ahead of its world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival. The rapid uptake reflects strong distributor confidence in Asgari's growing reputation and the film's timely subject matter, which deals with the personal toll of state repression in Iran.

The Paris- and Berlin-based sales firm has closed agreements with buyers in France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, the Benelux region, Bulgaria, Greece and Brazil, with negotiations ongoing for the UK, Germany and Central Europe. The film stars Misagh Zareh as a doctor who, after being arrested by the regime and stripped of his medical practice, plans to end his life and spends his final day saying goodbye to family. It follows Asgari's Divine Comedy, which premiered in Venice's Horizons strand last year, and was produced by Milad Khosravi's Seven Springs Pictures alongside several international co-producers. The 83rd Venice Film Festival runs from 2-12 September.