Movies
'Closer'
The actress will helm the movie through her Handmadecharlie Films production company after signing a two-year deal with Participant Productions.
The film is based on the bestselling book by Amos Oz, which recalls his childhood in war-torn Jerusalem in the 1940s and '50s.
Portman, 26, told Variety that she signed with the relatively new studio because of its reputation for "socially-relevant" films such as An Inconvenient Truth and Syriana.
She said: "We all have the same desire to make meaningful and artistically fulfilling films and are committed to the idea of stories leading to greater empathy and action for world issues."
Portman will next appear with Scarlett Johansson in The Other Boleyn Girl, and opposite Dustin Hoffman in Mr Magorium's Wonder Emporium.
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