Iman Vellani, who broke out as the lead in Ms. Marvel, will headline climate thriller Suffering Is Optional, a Canadian co-production written and directed by Zara Khan for City Lights Media.
Vellani will play Noor Rahman, a 20-year-old drama student who is chosen to play the lead role in the film “Hamlet,” which is set in India. Encouraged by a strict director to channel her grief into her performance, she is visited by the ghost of her deceased partner, who tells her a prophecy of impending climate change. Torn between her artistic ambitions and institutional abuse, she must find a way to combat both. The film explores themes of power and coming of age in a corrupt society, centering on campus culture wars and the grief of climate change.
Khan made his feature debut with In Flames, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 and was selected as Pakistan’s official entry into the Academy Awards. He developed the script for “Suffering Is Option” based on first-hand stories from people who survived climate disasters.
Production is expected to begin in early 2027, with principal photography to take place in Hamilton and Montreal. The film is financed by Telefilm Canada and is a co-production of CityLights Media, LBG Films, Other Memory Media, and Couronne Nord.
Produced by Lindsay Blair Goldner (“I Love the Movies”), Anam Abbas (“Burning”) and Julie Grolleau (“The Decline”). Karen Harnisch (The Infinity Pool) and Kareem Aftab (Memories of Princess Mumbi) will serve as executive producers.
Vellani’s credits also include “The Marvels,” “Animal Farm” and “Tales From Woodcreek.”
