Exclusive: Filmmaker Destin Daniel Cretton has boarded In the Garden of Tulips, an Oscar-qualified live-action short written by and starring Ava Lalezarzadeh, as executive producer.

The project reunites Cretton with director Julia Elihu, with whom he initially connected nearly a decade ago as one of the founders of her high school film program. His work has been a large inspiration for Elihu throughout her filmmaking journey

Winning Lalezarzadeh HollyShorts Film Festival’s Script Compass Screenwriting Award, In the Garden of Tulips marks her screenwriting debut. The drama is set on a beautiful spring day in 1988 against the looming backdrop of the Iran-Iraq War, following 16-year-old Caroline as she takes her last car journey with her father to the Iranian countryside. Pic is based on the journey of Lalezarzadeh’s mother, who herself fled from war and religious persecution. It’s a story that resonated deeply for Elihu, whose family shares the same heritage,...