EXCLUSIVE: Palestinian filmmakers Cherien Dabis and May Odeh are teaming up with Canadian producer Ina Fichman on an adaptation of Suad Amiry’s 2003 novel Sharon And My Mother-In-Law.
Amiry’s novel is an account of living in the West Bank from the early eighties up until 2003, including a period when her mother-in-law moved in during the Israeli invasion of Ramallah in March 2000.
“The film is about the everyday harassment of the Israeli soldiers that never make it to the news,” says Ramallah-based writer, architect and conservationist Amiry.
The book gives a wry but piercing human glimpse into the reality of life in Occupied Palestine. It was translated into 17 languages and also won Italy’s prestigious Viareggio Prize for literature in 2003.
“What I love so much about Sharon And My Mother-in-Law is Suad Amiry’s sharp and often hilarious observations of the absurdities of life under occupation. I’m very excited to bring her unexpected voice and perspective to the big screen,” said Dabis.
She will write, direct and produce credits under her Displaced Persons Inc banner. The multi-hyphenate is in Cannes as a cast member Tarik Saleh’s Palme d’Or contender thriller Eagles of the Republic and was at Sundance earlier this with her latest directorial work All That’s Left Of You.
Odeh will produce through her Ramallah-based company Odeh Films alongside Fichman at Montreal-based Intuitive Pictures.
“The story of Sharon and My Mother-in-Law brings a fresh perspective to the Palestinian narrative, told with cheeky humor and irony by the very talented director, Cherien Dabis. I’m honored to collaborate with May and Cherien on this very relevant film project,” said Fichman.
Her credits include 2022 Oscar-nominated documentary Fire of Love, Coexistence, My Ass! and The Wanted 18.
Odeh is in Cannes this year as a co-producer of Egyptian film Aisha Can’t Fly and A Useful Ghost, with her other credits including 200 Metres and Hanging Garden.
She is also producing Rakan Mayasi’s The Passport, which is one of the projects selected for this year’s edition of the Institut Français’ La Fabrique Cinéma initiative in Cannes/
Dabis’s last film All That’s Left Of You, which is still on the festival circuit, follows a Palestinian family over the arc of decades from the loss of their citrus orchards in 1948 to the present day. It follows her films May In The Summer and Amreeka.
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