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European Film Market & Co-Production Market

On February 19, at “Books at Berlinale”, producers can once again discover twelve new, unusual literary works that could be turned into films. The selected books will be showcased at the popular presentation, which has been a part of the Berlinale Co-Production Market since 2006, in cooperation with the Frankfurt Book Fair. Immediately following the pitches, film producers can get together with those who hold the film rights to the books – renowned publishers and literary agents who are active internationally.

Selected from close to 150 submissions from 30 countries, this year’s “Books at Berlinale” includes works from Germany, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Norway, Spain, Turkey and United Kingdom.

In addition to "In the Midst of Winter", the newest book by Isabel Allende, whose debut novel "The House of the Spirits" was an international success as both a book and a film, the latest works by best-selling French authors Véronique Olmi and Mazarine Pingeot will also be featured. Pingeot broke out as a writer in 2005 with “Bouche cousue”, an autobiographical work about her life as the secret, illegitimate daughter of former French president François Mitterrand.

From Germany comes the brand-new, not yet published novel “#egoland” by Michael Nast. Nast’s 2015 non-fiction work “Generation Beziehungsunfähig” was a massive success in Germany.

Georgia, which will be the guest of honour at October’s Frankfurt Book Fair, is showcasing “The Other Amsterdam” by Dato Turashvili, which explores the fate of Georgian immigrants to the Netherlands during World War II.

Many of the selected books tackle highly topical subjects such as upheaval in Turkish society, "fake news", or a mother dealing with her daughter's terrorist activities. But there is also entertainment for the whole family, such as “Captain Horror’s Island” from Greece (Rodoula Pappa), with a plot that might, without much exaggeration, be described as "Pippi Longstocking" meets Pirates of the Caribbean.

There is a historical novel from Italy based on true events, “Hitler’s Feast” by Rosella Postorino, which tells the harrowing story of ten women during World War II who put their lives at risk every day as tasters at Adolf Hitler's Wolf's Lair bunker, making sure the “Führer’s” food wasn’t poisoned.

Producers who are interested in filming literary material, as well as publishers and literary agents can register to attend this event until February 9 at books@berlinale.de.

“Books at Berlinale” is held at the Berlin House of Representatives as part of the Berlinale Co-Production Market. The main partners of the Berlinale Co-Production Market are MDM – Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and the Creative Europe - MEDIA Programme of the European Union. The Berlinale Co-Production Market is part of the European Film Market (EFM).

The following books have been selected for “Books at Berlinale” 2018:

(in alphabetical order by company)

“In the Midst of Winter” (Isabel Allende), Agencia Literaria Carmen Balcells, Spain
“Fake Metal Jacket” (Sven Recker), Agentur Kroll, Germany
"The Other Amsterdam” (Dato Turashvili), Bakur Sulakauri Publishing, Georgia
“The Million Kroner Kindness Competition” (Arnfinn Kolerud), Cappelen Damm Agency, Norway
“#egoland” (Michael Nast), Edel Books, Germany
“Bakhita” (Véronique Olmi), Editions Albin Michel, France
“Magda” (Mazarine Pingeot), Editions Julliard, France
“The Girl in the Tree” (Şebnem İşigüzel), Kalem Agency, Turkey
“Where the Missing Go” (Emma Rowley), Orion Publishing Group, United Kingdom
“Wenn Martha tanzt” / “Martha's Dance” (Tom Saller), Ullstein Buchverlage, Germany
“Hitler's Feast” (Rosella Postorino), Vicki Satlow Literary Agency, Italy
“Captain Horror's Island” (Rodoula Pappa), Volatilium, Greece

Press Office
January 25, 2018