Berlin

On February 14, producers will once again have the opportunity to discover exciting new literary material for the screen at the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Twelve novels that have outstanding potential for the screen will be presented at “Books at Berlinale“. During the breakfast following the presentation, interested producers can speak directly with their rights holders, i.e., international publishers and literary agents. For those interested in specific works, individual meetings can also be scheduled.

This year, 81 books from around the world were submitted, more than ever before. The selection for 2012 includes classics and new discoveries, serious, as well as light and humorous material: absurd and comic situations between neighbours, clingy visitors from another world, suspenseful criminal investigations as well as dramatic scenes from World War II. The books are from Finland, Germany, France, Italy, Great Britain, Belgium, the Netherlands and Switzerland.

“Books at Berlinale” is the place to premiere, so to speak, literary material to the film industry. The books being presented are almost all new releases or are coming out later this year. “At the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the meeting point for international producers during the Festival, these works are in the very best of hands”, says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick. “At the same time, it’s a unique opportunity to option very promising material at an early stage. And of course we are delighted that the event is so popular with both sides – with both book publishers and film producers.” “Books at Berlinale” has been organized in cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair since 2006.

The event is being held within the scope of the Berlinale Co-Production Market, whose main partners are MDM Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and the MEDIA Programme of the European Union. The Berlinale Co-Production Market is part of the European Film Market (EFM).

The following literary works have been chosen for “Books at Berlinale” 2012:
(in alphabetical order according to the companies presenting them)

-    Naked Among Wolves (Bruno Apitz), Aufbau Verlag, Germany
-    The Neighbour (Roope Lipasti), Burning Bridge Literary Agency, Finland
-    Night Falls (Wanda Reisel), Contact Publishers, Netherlands
-    Story of a Secret State (Jan Karski), Editions Robert Laffont, France
-    Gloomy Meadow (Andrea Maria Schenkel), Hoffmann & Campe Verlag, Germany
-    Missing File (Dror Mishani), Liepman Literary Agency, Switzerland
-    Eva Sleeps (Francesca Melandri), Marco Vigevani Agenzia Letteraria, Italy
-    The Night of the Black Cat (Antonio Pagliaro), Nabu International Literary & Film Agency, Italy
-    Chucks (Cornelia Travnicek), Random House Germany, Germany
-    The Goblet of Horror (Dennis Eick), Rowohlt Verlag, Germany
-    The Girl Who Fell from the Sky (Simon Mawer), United Agents, Great Britain
-    The Autist and the Homing Pigeon (Rodaan Al Galidi), WPG Publishers, Belgium