The project, which draws inspiration from the successful Books at Berlinale initiative, is being developed in collaboration with the Frankfurt Book Fair, Svět knihy, and the Moravian Regional Library in Brno, with support from the PPF Foundation. Its goal is to create a market for film rights to adaptations of literary works from Central and Eastern Europe and to strengthen cooperation between the film and book industries.
“More than 70 applicants from 14 countries submitted entries for the first edition of Book-to-Screen at KVIFF. Selecting just eight was no easy task, but the final selection beautifully reflects the region’s diversity—geographically, in terms of genre, and thematically—ranging from ambitious historical novels and folk horror to children’s stories and bold contemporary voices. We look forward to these stories being presented in Karlovy Vary helping to pave the way for new partnerships across the book and film industries throughout Central and Eastern Europe,” says Niki Théron.
The Real Way Out, journalist Patrik Banga’s autobiographical debut about growing up in a Romani community in Prague’s Žižkov district in the 1990s, won the 2023 Magnesia Litera Award for Best Debut.
The Path of Pins or Needles is “a village novel you want to read from the safety of the city.” This folk-horror thriller by writer and literary scholar Zuzana Říhová, former Head of Czech Studies at Oxford, has already been successfully published in France and the U.S. by Editions du Seuil and Catapult, respectively.
In the graphic novel Zóna by Slovak author and playwright Daniel Majling, a mysteriously hostile space plays the titular role. Absurd characters, dark humor, striking visuals, and its cult status among Central European comic book fans (it has won the Muriel Award, among others) contribute to its strong potential for adaptation.
Iulian Ciocana’s Moldovan novel Queen of Hearts is also a dystopian satire about an ever-expanding, all-consuming crater in the middle of post-communist Chișinău.
Ieva Dumbrytė’s debut novel, Aspic Bistro, set in the surreal, almost Orwellian environment of a kitchen, has won several awards in her native Lithuania, including the prize for Most Creative Book of the Year.
The historical drama Cupid at the Kremlin Wall by writer and trained historian Aka Morchiladze depicts a tragic train journey across Georgia during the era of Stalinist terror in the 1930s. The successful author has written more than 30 novels, which have been published in 15 countries around the world. He has written several screenplays, and his previous book, Journey to Karabakh, was adapted into a film.
The selection also includes a strong entry in children’s literature—the Polish title The River Odyssey of Kora from Willow Meadow by Adam Robiński. The story of little Kora the beaver’s journey offers great potential for a visually and emotionally compelling film narrative with an environmental message for the whole family.
In the novel of Amadoka, the war in Donbas serves as the starting point for a story about the ambiguity of memory and history—both grand and intimate—told from a woman’s perspective. Author Sophia Andrukhovych was awarded the 2024 International Hermann Hesse Prize for this work. Her debut novel, Felix Austria, won the BBC Ukrainian Book of the Year award and was adapted into a film titled Devoted.
“The presentation will also be accompanied by a producers’ think tank focused specifically on adaptations, as well as a networking event, both of which are intended to contribute to our long-term goal of revitalizing the regional market for literary rights and deepening and fostering dialogue between the book and audiovisual industries,” says Hugo Rosák about the new initiative.
Complete List of Selected Works for Book-to-Screen at KVIFF
The Path of Pins or Needles (Czech Republic)
Author: Zuzana Říhová
Genre: folk horror, psychological thriller
Publisher: Argo
The Real Way Out (Czech Republic)
Author: Patrik Banga
Genre: coming-of-age, autobiography
Publisher: Host
Cupid at the Kremlin Wall (Georgia)
Author: Aka Morchiladze
Genre: historical drama, mystery
Publisher: Sulakauri Publishing
Aspic Bistro (Lithuania)
Author: Ieva Dumbrytė
Genre: magical realism, satire
Publisher: Kitos knygos
Queen of Hearts (Moldova)
Author: Iulian Ciocan
Genre: dystopian novel
Publisher: Polirom
The River Odyssey of Kora from Willow Meadow (Poland)
Author: Adam Robiński
Genre: children’s literature
Publisher: Widnokrąg
Zóna (Slovakia)
Author: Daniel Majling
Genre: graphic novel
Publisher: Brak
Amadoka (Ukraine)
Author: Sophia Andrukhovych
Genre: historical / war novel
Publisher: The Old Lion Publishing House