Christoph Thoke’s Mogador Film, Sebastian Popp’s Stoked Film (both Germany) and Jeremy Chua’s Potocol (Singapore) have joined forces to back “The Clouds Woke No Clocks,” a refugee drama from Indian filmmaker Aniket Dutta. The project will be led by Indian producer Roshni Sen and Dutta’s Empty Video banner.

Acclaimed Bangladesh actors Mostafa Monwar and Deepanwita Martin (Busan title “No Ground Beneath the Feet”) are set to star in the film, which follows a displaced family settling in a makeshift camp in the Himalayan foothills. The story centers on parents Khalid and Sharmeen, and their eight-year-old son Shoaib, who relocate to India to escape persecution in their home country.

“For me the state of being is more important than the state of being a refugee,” says Dutta, whose debut feature “Ghost of the Golden Groves,” co-directed with Sen, played at Festival du Nouveau Cinema Montreal. “I’m...