WRITTEN BY: Annika Pham
Rubicon TV hires Norwegian writer/director of What Will People Say for the TV adaptation of Zeshan Shakar’s best-selling novel Tante Ulrikkes vei (Our Street).
Rubicon TV hires Norwegian writer/director of What Will People Say for the TV adaptation of Zeshan Shakar’s best-selling novel Tante Ulrikkes vei (Our Street).
NRK has boarded the development of the series, currently in early stage of development.
Haq is writing the screenplay with Hilde Hagerup (Snowfall), in cooperation with Zeshan Shakar and Lilyhammer co-creator Anne Bjørnstad, Rubicon Head of Scripted Content and executive producer.
Published in the fall 2017, Shakar’s debut novel has been a smash hit both with readers and critics and was chosen as one of the best books of 2017 by dailies VG, Dagbladet, Aftenposten and Adresseavisen among others.
Bjørnstad told nordicfilmandtvnews.com: “It’s a very exciting project for us. The book is a coming of age story about two second generation immigrant boys in very different family situations who grow up in the same street called ‘Tante Ulrikkes vei’ in Stovner, in eastern Oslo, in the beginning of the 2000s. It’s funny, touching and has a societal scope, with a thematic focus on immigration and integration policies-or the lack of them."
For Rubicon TV’s executive, Haq is the perfect writer/director for the TV version.
“Iram Haq is one of our most talented directors. She has exhibited an outstanding sensibility for these themes [of integration and immigration] in her feature films and is uniquely suited for this adaptation, as she grew up in the very same area where the story takes place."
Our Street will be Haq’s first commitment to TV drama.
Her multi-awarded second feature What Will People Say produced by Mer Film, is currently touring world festivals.
The next stop is Edinburgh (June 20-July 1st). The film is opening in the US in July via Kino Lorber (see trailer below).
The news was first published in the Norwegian newspaper dagsavisen.