Simon Bird is a British comic known for his role in "Inbetweeners", lined up his second film as a director after his debut in 2019's "Days of The Days of The Days of the Bagnold Summer".

"Pretend I'm not here," described as "a fascinating and comedic exploration of relationships tested during World War II," will be in Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Matthew Broderick ("Producer, "Not Hard"), the Academy and BAFTA NOMINEE SALLY HAWKINS ("Black Panther", "Hobbit" franchise).

Cornerstone will launch international sales and distribution in Cannes. Cornerstone and CAA Media Finance will unite U.S. rights.

"Pretend I'm not here," said an average couple. During the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands, they provided sanctuary for Jewish perfume salesmen, according to the summary, with the challenge of "presenting in unexpected ways" with strangers.

The film was co-produced by Parkville Pictures and Lemming Film, developed by BBC films. Cecilia Frugiuele and Olivier Kaempfer, whose previous works include "The Society of Courtesy" and "The Mised Education of Cameron Post" and the upcoming "Lollipop" and "CC Emily", will be produced through Parkville Pictures. Lisa Owens (author of Bagno Summer Days, Not Working and the upcoming "Natural Disasters") writes the script for Hans Keilson's acclaimed novella "Comedy in Comedy". Des Hamilton and Jo Harris won the BAFTA-winning DES Hamilton Casting ("King", "Jojo Rabbit") and will begin production in the UK and the Netherlands later this year.

"We're going to 'pretend I'm not here' to bring such a great partner life, which makes us even more excited," Frugiuele and Kaempfer said. "With Simon's compelling directorial vision, Lisa's keen and poignant scripts, the timeless novel by Hans Keilson and our excellent lead roles with Matthew, Sally and Martin, we provide all the ingredients for a really special film. I'm not here here, I'm not a surprisingly entertaining and can make it both entertaining and entertaining and entertaining, and make it both entertaining and entertaining and entertaining.

Alison Thompson and Mark Gooder of the cornerstone added: "Pretending I'm not here is a powerful story, it's a powerful story for our time, exploring the nuances of human connection in times of crisis. With the outstanding actor and the unique vision of Simon Bird, we believe this fun and subversive gem will captivate the audience and trigger important conversations."

After Locarno's premiere, Bagnod Summer's Bagnod Summer also received a buzzing reaction, with Bird directing the 2023 BBC/Hulu comedy series "So Brave Girl" that won the BAFTA TV Best Screenplay Comedy Award last year.

Broderick is represented by CAA, Eric Kranzler in Entertainment 360 and Barry Tyerman. Hawkins is represented by CAA and lawyers Jodi Peikoff and Freeman, the lawyers of the British Modern Collective, Felker Toczek Suddleson McGinnis Ryan Llp) and Premier PR.