Rights & Licensing

Book-to-screen

Book-to-screen activities

Curtain up for remarkable books as publishers and literary agents meet with film producers.

With its book-to-screen activities, Frankfurter Buchmesse connects player from the publishing industry with production companies. At the Book-to-Screen Day on Friday of the fair, we will be offering a series of events where publishers and agents can meet film producers to discover and discuss the books with the best potential for film, series or screen adaptation.

Frankfurter Buchmesse is involved in the film sector all year round: the ‘Books at Berlinale’ pitch event, which was founded in 2006 by the Frankfurter Buchmesse and the Co-Production Market takes place at the Berlinale. Every year, 10 selected publishers and agencies from all over the world pitch their titles to 200 European film producers at the event.

As part of the Marché du Film at the Cannes Film Festival, Frankfurter Buchmesse is the official partner of ‘Shoot the Book!’.

This year, Frankfurter Buchmesse showcasts ‘Book-to-Screen’ formats with its partners at the book fairs in Brussels, Thessaloniki and Prague as well as at the film festival in Karlovy Vary.

Save the date: on Friday, 17 October the Book-to-Screen Day is again taking place at Frankfurter Buchmesse (15 - 19 October)! Various events on film and series adaptations will take place putting the spotlight on promoting the exchange between the film or screen producers and the international publishing industry.

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Call for applications Book-to-Screen Matchmaking event for production companies and scouts

International production companies and scouts can apply until 10 July to participate in an exclusive matchmaking event. This event takes place on Friday, 17 October from 11 am to 1.00 pm at Frankfurter Buchmesse in the framework of the Book-to-Screen Day and will be organised in cooperation with Berlinale Co-Production Market.

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Please note the participation criteria for the Book-To-Screen-matchmaking:

You are eligible to apply if you are a production company or a scout looking for international film rights with at least 3 years working experience and you have optioned or acquired at least 1 book.

Please submit this application form until 10 July 2025.

The event and all communication around it will be in English.

If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact Niki Théron(opens in a new window) (Senior Manager International Projects & Film).

The Book-to-Screen Matchmaking event is organised in cooperation with:

Look forward to the following highlights

Visitors of a film event who are attending a presentation

This year, "Book meets Film" will once again take place as part of the Munich Film Festival. The aim is to connect the German-speaking book and film industry. Twelve books with outstanding potential for film adaptations are presented in two-minute pitches. At the subsequent reception there is the opportunity to talk about licenses, options and other books.

This was „Books at Berlinale 2025"

Welcome - entry hall European Film Market

Entrance hall with domed building where people are around

Ten outstanding books with special potential for literary adaptations and series formats were presented at the „Books at Berlinale" on 17 February 2025 in Berlin. Publishers and booksellers from around the world met with film producers. The annual pitch event of the Berlinale Co-Production Market in cooperation with the Frankfurter Buchmesse has been putting current new releases and bestsellers in the spotlight since 2006.

This was the Book-to-Screen Day at #fbm24

Film and series adaptations were the focus of this year's Frankfurter Buchmesse. At Book-to-Screen Day on Friday, October 18, 2024, filmmakers from all over the world had the opportunity to discover new stories, characters and ideas from the international book industry. Frankfurter Buchmesse connected the creative industries and promotes the exchange between the publishing industry and the film and streaming industry: among other things with two Buchmesse tours for international filmmakers and a curated matchmaking event for film producers, publishers and agents.

The programme also included a masterclass, networking events and talks. Cooperation partners included ACE Producers, Aldus Up, Akademie für Kindermedien, Berlinale Co-Production Market, B3 - Biennale des bewegten Bildes, Filmbüro Hessen, Hessen Film & Medien, Institut Français, Jip film & verleih, Produzent*innenverband, SpielFabrique sowie TAICA.

Producers and Scouts who have participated in Book-to-Screen Day 2024:

Amusement Park Film GmbH, Germany
Basis Berlin, Germany
Bavaria Fiction, Germany
bildundtonfabrik, Germany
Chosen Family Media, Germany
Constantin Film, Germany

DCM, Germany
Film AG, Austria
Fremantle, GB
Maipo Film, Norway
Hugo Film, Switzerland
Komplizenfilm, Germany

Leonine, Germany
Loba Produções, Brazil
Match Factory Productions GmbH, Germany
Netflix, Germany
NEUESUPER, Germany
OdeonFiction, Germany

Pantaleon Films, Germany
Pragmatic Pictures, US
Schmerbeck Entertainment GmbH, Germany
Senator, Germany
Sony, Germany
Studio Canal, Germany

Studio Zentral, Germany
Tobis Film, Germany
Wüste Film, Germany
X-Filme, Germany
Zodiac Pictures, Switzerland

These were some book-to-screen event highlights at #fbm24!

Event
"The Smurfs and Gaming" with Louise Busseniers and Fabienne Gilles (Peyo Company, Belgium)
Exclusive Frankfurter Buchmesse guided tour for producers
Masterclass „Best practices for the film adaption business” with Maÿlis Vauterin and Delphine Clot (Matriochkas Bureau audiovisuel et littéraire)
„Book-to-Screen & Screen-to-Book: A Crime Writer’s Life Between Films and Books” with Taiwanese bestselling author Katniss Hsiao (Before We Were Monsters)
The French bestselling author Timothée de Fombelle talks about adaptations of children's and young adult books
"The Art of Trese Anime: From Comics to Anime" mit Budjette Tan (Partner: National Book Development Board of the Philippines, NBDB)
Book-to-screen talk: Fatma Aydemir and Aslı Özarslan on the literary adaptation Elbow”. Language: German
"Book-to-Games Event" presented by Thierry Baujart (SpielFabrique)
"Comics for Screen Showroom & Drinks reception" organised by Frankfurter Buchmesse

More Information about Book-to-screen:

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