A Moroccan-French film about a young pregnant woman who finds herself cut off from family after a supernatural “event” upends society as she knows it, will make its American on-Demand debut on June 18th.

Animalia, already a darling of the international film festival circuit, stars Oumaima Barid as Itto, a Moroccan woman who married into privilege, and who is now enjoying the good life while expecting her first child. When her husband Amine (Mehdi Dehbi) and his family leave her alone for a day, it seems like she’ll have a chance to let her hair down, both figuratively and literally.

But when her country declares a state of emergency, Itto finds herself separated from her new family and as she finds her way back to them, experiences new freedoms that could change her forever.

Although the “supernatural event” is hinted to be some kind of alien invasion, that appears to be in the background of what the film is really about: the distinct societal strata that separates the very wealthy from the poorer classes and how it feels to move into the upper crust.

Animalia was written and directed by Sofia Alaoui in her feature film debut, and was produced by Margaux Lorier, Toufik Ayadi and Christophe Barral. Fouad Oughaou, and Souad Khouyi also star.

The film premiered in 2023 at the Sundance Film Festival and won a World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award for Alaoui, hailing “the arrival of a new, freshly original cinematic voice.” It won the award for Best International Feature Film at the Calgary International Film Festival as well as other nominations and awards.

Animalia has been released theatrically overseas, in select U.S. theaters, and premieres on-demand on June 18th through Dark Star Pictures.