A novel by an Iranian author who was found dead two weeks ago, is to be filmed by Irish director Kirsten Sheridan. Sheridan, who previously directed ‘Disco Pigs’, ‘Dollhouse’ and ‘August Rush’ will adapt and direct the best seller. The novel, entitled ‘Pomegranate Soup’, is by Marsha Mehran, and is about Iranian sisters who move to Ireland and open a restaurant.
Mehran (36) was born in Iran but grew up in Argentina and America. She moved to Ireland during the 2000s with her husband, who hailed from Mayo. The couple later separated. Mehran was found dead in her home in Lecanvey, Mayo, on April 30 A post-mortem exam xould not determine the cause of death, though no foul play is suspected.
The novel ‘Pomegranate Soup’ is set in a small Mayo village near Craogh Patrick, and centres on the Amnipour sisters who set up a Persian café and introduce the locals to new flavours. The adaptation received €22,000 in funding from the IFB and is being envisaged as a “mid-budget” project. The film rights were purchased months before Mehran’s tragic death, and the project is still in development.
The movie will be produced by Subotica Pictures (‘Jimi: All is By My Side’, ‘Miss Julie’), the founder of which, Tristan Orpen Lynch, stated it had had no dealings with the author. The rights were acquired by a British co-producer through an agent.
“[Mehran’s death] was just as much as a shock to us as it was to everyone else,” Lynch said. “We would have hoped when we had the project more developed we’d all get together and get her opinion.
“It’s a great story of cultures coming to Ireland; the Middle Eastern culture landing in a Mayo setting. Some of the stuff is really observant about the development of Ireland… This was a new Irish experience that hasn’t been written too much, and hasn’t been on the screen much.”
