Book-to-Screen Day 2024 with Timothée de Fombelle and Katniss Hsiao, among others

At the Book-to-Screen Day on Friday, 18 October 2024, filmmakers from around the world will have the chance to discover new stories, characters and ideas from the international book trade. Frankfurter Buchmesse will be using the event to highlight film and series adaptations and promote an exchange between publishers and the film and streaming industry through masterclasses, matchmaking, networking events, talks and panel discussions.

At 10.00 am (THE ARTS+ stage, Hall 4.1), the English-language Book-to-Screen masterclass “Best Practices for the Film Adaption Business” will provide a look behind the scenes at film adaptations. Speakers will include Maÿlis Vauterin and Delphine Clot, co-founders of Matriochkas – Bureau audiovisuel et littéraire in Paris. Things will continue at 11.00 am with the event “Book-to-Screen & Screen-to-Book: A Crime Writer’s Life Between Films and Books”, during which Taiwanese author Katniss Hsiao will discuss adapting her bestseller Before We Were Monsters for the screen. At 12 noon, French bestselling author Timothée de Fombelle will talk about the unique aspects of adapting literature for children and young adults.

As part of ‘Frankfurt Calling – Perspectives on Culture and Politics’, the event “Book-to-Screen Talk: Fatma Aydemir and Aslı Özarslan on Adapting Ellbogen” will take place in German at 2.00 pm in the Frankfurt Pavilion. Fatma Aydemir, the book’s author, will speak with director Aslı Özarslan about how they collaborated as they turned the novel into a film. The discussion will be moderated by screenwriter and director Fitore Muzaqi.

The cinematic version of the coming-of-age novel had its world premiere at this year’s Berlinale film festival. It will also receive the "Frankfurter Buchmesse Prize for Best Adaptation" at the 2024 Hessian Film and Cinema Awards (ceremony: 18 October 2024, Alte Oper Frankfurt, 7.30 pm). “In telling the moving story of Hazal, the film adheres closely to what is in the book, although the adaptation creates its own extraordinary atmosphere,” says Jürgen Boos, director of Frankfurter Buchmesse, explaining the decision to recognise the film. “By bestowing this award, we also want to honour the close collaboration between author Fatma Aydemir and director Aslı Özarslan, who worked together exceptionally well to bring Hazal’s story to the big screen.”

The unendowed prize recognises adaptations that are especially successful in conveying literary material visually in a unique and authentic manner while still remaining true to the original. The selection is made as “Director’s Choice”.

In addition,the Book-to-Screen Day will feature a tour of the book fair for international filmmakers, a curated matchmaking event for film producers, publishers and agents (those interested in participating should register at film@buchmesse.de)(opens in a new window), and Book-to-Games and Book-to-Comic events. For more information: Book-to-Screen | Frankfurter Buchmesse.

Partners include ACE Producers, Aldus Up, Berlinale Co-Production Market, B3 – Festival of the Moving Image, Hessen Film & Medien, Institut Français, Produzent*innenverband and TAICA – Taiwan Creative Content Agency.