Sixth Sense secures rights to 'Six'

Producers hope to raise awareness of medics' plight

By ALI JAAFAR

Sixth Sense Prods. has secured the life rights of the "Benghazi Six," hoping to raise awareness of their plight.

It's real-life story of a Palestinian doctor and five Bulgarian nurses imprisoned in Libya on charges of deliberately infecting 240 Libyan children with HIV.

The "Benghazi Six," so named because of the Libyan jail they have been imprisoned in for eight years, have been sentenced to death twice and are on death row awaiting their final appeal to Libya's supreme court.

Producers are hoping pic will raise awareness of plight of the six medics and help overturn their sentence.

"It's amazing that no one in America knows about this story," said Sixth Sense's Sam Feuer. "I don't think the film will change the Libyan government's mind but the process of making the film and the fact we're talking to all sorts of Hollywood heavy-hitters who believe in this cause might help."

Feuer is approaching the same A-listers who have been raising awareness of the Darfur conflict. George Clooney and the rest of the "Ocean's Thirteen" cast have used their film's publicity to put a spotlight on events in Sudan.

"We're hoping for a happy ending," added Feuer. "They're innocent people."

Sixth Sense have their own Darfur feature in the pipeline. "Beyond the Sun" has "Premonition" helmer Mennan Yapo attached to direct. The $15 million project is co-production with Future Films and is set for a South African shoot in February.