From the book to the big screen: TFL launches Adapt Lab

by Vittoria Scarpa

03/04/2012 - The TorinoFilmLab will, starting from the 2012 edition, dedicate a specific programme to the film adaptation of literary works: the Adapt Lab. Coming from all over Europe, the eight screenwriters/ directors taking part in this new initiative – launched in partnership with IBF - International Book Forum and Initiative Film, in collaboration with theTurin International Book Fair – will work on adapting as many Italian novels during the course of three workshops and under the guidance of three expert tutors.

The books selected are four thrillers / noirs ("Re di bastoni, in piedi" by Francesca Battistella, "Il pontile sul lago" by Marco Polillo, "L'ombra del commissario Sensi" by Susanna Raule and La legge di Fonzi di Omar di Monopoli) and four novels of mixed genres ("L'amore imperfetto" by Irene Di Caccamo, "Scusate la polvere" by Elvira Seminara, "La ballata delle canaglie" by Enrico Remmert and "Palermo solo" by Philippe Fusaro).

The Turin lab, a breeding ground for new talents in cinema, has also announced the 11 projects for first and second works which will participate to the fifth edition of the FrameWork programme, including the six winners of a Development Award in the last edition of Script&Pitch (see the news). The titles selected include Britain’s Land by Babak Jalali, Sweden’s The Garbage Helicopter by Jonas Selberg Augustsén and Greece’s Stage Fright by Yorgos Zois.

The teams, consisting of screenwriter/director and producer, will take part in two workshops in which they will be assisted by tutors and experts: the first, organised in partnership with Malta Film Commission, will be held in Valletta on April 27 – May 2; the second will be held in Turin (TorinoFilmLab Meeting Event) on November 25 – 27, 2012 within theframework of the 30th Turin Film Festival, on which occasion the projects will be presented to the 120 producers and international film industry professionals, and will compete for one of the TFL Production Awards (€50,000-200,000).

The TorinoFilmLab will also be well represented at the eighth edition of the Atelier Cinéfondation at the 65th Cannes Film Festival (May 16-27): 6 out of the 15 projects selected on the Croisette were in fact developed within one of the programmes of the TorinoFilmLab (Script&Pitch, FrameWork and Interchange). Among these, the winner of a Production Award worth €150,000 at the latest edition of FrameWork, Touch me not by Romania’s Adila Pintilie.

To see the full list of projects selected, click here.

(Translated from Italian)