On Sunday,
February 18,
the Berlinale
Co-Production
Market will
present ten
current
books
selected due
to their
great
potential
for screen
adaptation
in Books at
Berlinale.
In
cooperation
with the
Frankfurter
Buchmesse,
since 2006,
new
international
releases and
bestsellers
have been
presented at
this annual
pitch event
bringing
together
film
producers
with
well-known
publishers
and literary
agents.
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Books at
Berlinale 2023 © Carlos
Collado |
The presentation will be hosted by
the author Syd Atlas and take place
in the Berlin House of
Representatives in front of 150
guests from the film and publishing
industries.
A total of 30 submissions are from
Italy, this year's Guest of Honour
at Frankfurter Buchmesse and the European
Film Market’s “Country in Focus”.
From those, “Cesare’s Story” (“La
storia di Cesare. Scegliere a occhi
chiusi la felicità”) was selected -
a moving memoir by Valentina
Mastroianni.
Close to 100 submissions came from
publishers and agents from over 30
countries this year. The ten
selected books were submitted by six
publishers and four literary
agencies. The authors - 90 percent
of whom are women this time - come
from Iceland, India, the United
Kingdom, the Netherlands, Pakistan,
France, Germany and Switzerland.
This year’s selection again reflects
on trends in the book market. For
example, “Cesare's Story” and
“Dissident Club” - a graphic novel
by Pakistani author Taha Siddiqui -
are two autobiographical works
shedding a personal light on current
social and political issues such as
living with a disability, flight
from home, and the freedom of the
press.
Among the authors are several
writers who deal with feminism,
migration and racism, or the modern
working world in family and social
dramas (Yandé Seck in “White
Clouds”, Julya Rabinowich in “Me:
In-Between”, Fien Veldman in “Xerox
/ Hard Copy”, Simone Meier in
“Everything for Jo”); but there are
also thrillers such as the “Áróra
Investigation Series” by Lilja
Sigurðardóttir or the historical
novel “A Poisoner's Tale” by Cathryn
Kemp, which have great potential for
adaptation. With “History's Angel”
by Anjum Hasan, for the first time a
story by an Indian author is being
presented. Claudia Scharf penned the
exciting fantasy series for a
younger audience, “The Secret of Nox”,
also a promising original for screen
adaptation.
Interested film producers and film
rights holders can register for
participation until February 9 at books@berlinale.de
On February 18, Books at Berlinale
will host a pitch event followed by
networking, as well as a second
matchmaking event, where selected
film rights holders can meet with
participating film producers in
one-on-one meetings.
The Berlinale Co-Production Market is
a Berlinale Pro* initiative of the
Berlin International Film Festival
and is supported by MDM -
Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and
the European Union’s Creative Europe
- MEDIA programme. Cooperation
partner and main venue is the Berlin
House of Representatives.
The following materials have been
selected for Books at Berlinale
2024:
(English title / original title; in
alphabetical order of the presenting
companies):
· “The Secret of Nox:
Light, Shadow - Bat Rats! (vol.
1)” / “Das Geheimnis von Nox: Licht,
Schatten – Flederratten! (Vol. 1)” (author:
Claudia Scharf, Germany), Carlsen
Verlag, Germany
· “Me: In-Between” / “Dazwischen:
Ich” (author: Julya Rabinowich,
Germany), Carl Hanser Verlag,
Germany
· “White Clouds” / “Weiße
Wolken” (author: Yandé Seck,
Germany), Copywrite Literatur-
und Filmagentur, Germany
· “Cesare’s Story.
Choosing Happiness with Your Eyes
Closed” / “La storia di Cesare.
Scegliere a occhi chiusi la felicità” (author:
Valentina Mastroianni, Italy),
DeAgostini Libri, Italy
· “Dissident Club” (authors:
Taha Siddiqui and Hubert Maury,
illustrator: Hubert Maury,
Pakistan/France), Editions Glénat,
France
· “History’s Angel” (author:
Anjum Hasan, India), Jacaranda
Literary Agency, Singapore
· “Everything for Jo” / “Die
Entflammten” (author: Simone
Meier, Switzerland), Kein & Aber,
Switzerland
· “A Poisoner’s Tale” (author:
Cathryn Kemp, United Kingdom),
Penguin Random House UK, United
Kingdom
· “The Áróra
Investigation Series: Cold as
Hell” / “Helköld sól” (author:
Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Iceland),
Reyjkavík Literary Agency, Iceland
· “Xerox / Hard Copy” / “Xerox” (author:
Fien Veldman, the Netherlands),
Sebes & Bisseling Literary Agency,
the Netherlands