Sidney Kimmel Will Finance Jessica Sanders-Directed PICKING COTTON

Deadline reports that Sidney Kimmel Entertainment will finance and produce Picking Cotton, an adaptation of the bestselling memoir by Ronald Cotton, Jennifer Thompson, and Erin Torneo. Jessica Sanders will direct and David Birke & Tony Mosher will write the script.

Sanders is the Oscar-nominated documentary director of After Innocence and Sing!. Picking Cotton is the riveting true story of Jennifer Thompson, a Southern white college student who was violently raped at knifepoint, and Ronald Cotton, the black man she identified as her attacker in a lineup. After spending 11 years in prison, Cotton was exonerated and freed by DNA evidence. He acclimates to life as a free man and his accuser struggles with her guilt, and in an unlikely turn they become close friends and activists for criminal justice reform.

Penotti called Picking Cotton "an emotional, poignant and timely memoir that resonates deeply, and we are thrilled to be working in tandem with Jessica Sanders on the film adaptation. Her background as a documentary filmmaker and in-depth understanding of this critical subject matter will be invaluable as we aim to shine a spotlight on this significant story."

Adds Sanders: "I've been passionate about Jennifer Thompson and Ronald Cotton's exceptional story since I featured them in After Innocence, a game-changer in criminal justice reform. Jennifer and Ronald's story is deeply human and inspiring, exploring themes of redemption, injustice, love and friendship. I'm honored to bring their story to the big screen with producers Sidney Kimmel, John Penotti and their wonderful team, showing the healing power of forgiveness."

Read the original story on Deadline.