Only one month after the deadly terrorist attack claimed 12 lives at the offices of the French satirical magazine, a US film distributor has bought the rights to a documentary about Charlie Hebdo.
The film, a 2008 behind the scenes look at the workings of the publication, is called It’s Hard being Loved by Jerks, a reference to a slogan uttered by Muhammed in one of Charlie Hebdo’s infamous cartoons.
"We sold the film to American distributor Kino Lorber," said Eric Lagesse on Tuesday. Mr Lagesse is the president of Pyramide, a French distributor in possession of the rights to the documentary.
The film, directed by documentarian Daniel Leconte, detailed the magazine’s attempts to champion freedom of expression as several Muslim activists were seeking the censorship of images of the Prophet Muhammad.
The incident ended with a bitter legal battle involving Muslim leaders accusing the magazine of caricaturing Islam more unfairly than other religions, while defence lawyers for Charlie Hebdo read out a litany of other religious leaders spoofed by the satirical weekly.
The film, which screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008, only received a limited release in France, but will now be pitched to arthouse cinemas around the US.
"We are also in talks with the Swiss, the Italians and the Germans," Mr Lagesse said.
In France, It’s Hard being Loved by Jerks has been re-released and sold on DVD since the January 7th attack by jihadists in Charlie Hebdo’s Paris offices.
