The expert delved into the journey from page to screen, emphasising the need for innovation and strategic rights handling

Gabrielle Gonçalves at Cinelibri (© Tihomira Krumova/Cinelibri)

The morning session of Day 2 of Cinelibri’s Based-on-Books Cinema Forum (26-27 October) hosted a presentation by Gabrielle Gonçalves of France’s Film Initiative.

Gonçalves began by introducing the company she works for, established by Isabelle Fauvel in Paris in 1993. She emphasised that the firm's activities are focused solely on the development stage. “We’re there to support talent very early, from the idea to the very start of production. We assist talent and producers, and handle many different aspects, including script consultancy, story editing, script doctoring, book scouting, training, and master classes covering a wide range of topics, held for labs and markets.”

“In the past ten years, we’ve seen a surge in adaptations. According to a national study, one in five films and TV series in France are adaptations. But why do we adapt so much in France? It’s partly due to our attachment to our literary tradition, and France remains one of the countries translating the most works, which broadens the scope of available stories. But is any book adaptable? No, and that’s an even longer question to answer,” she explained, adding that the first “bond” between the director and the book is not “love at first sight,” but requires a certain degree of “intimacy.”

“You can adapt virtually any genre and format, of course. People get very creative. A French film showing here is based on a blog post by a lawyer sharing his cases online. One of the most important things, in any case, remains the concept. [We should ask ourselves:] Is it new? Is it clear? Does it speak to the audience of tomorrow?”

Gonçalves noted that recent years have also seen “a surge in non-fiction, journalistic, and investigative stories,” including “true crime.” “When you want to adapt, the first step is checking the rights’ availability. You need to secure them and figure out who owns them – the writers themselves, the publishers, or someone else.”

Negotiations then become crucial – not only in economic terms, but also in creative ones. “For example, some people will sell, but they want to be involved in the script.”

Gonçalves went on to explain how adaptation has its own “specifics and grammar.” “It’s a highly distinct form of art; you’re using someone else’s work and making it your own as a writer-director.”

Without mincing words, she said there’s no secret recipe for success, but, of course, gaining experience and having a keen eye for trends are essential practices. “We read a lot, and we don’t only focus on recent books. We revive very old, adaptable books, and we don’t limit ourselves to bestsellers.”

“Sometimes, we realise directors aren’t entirely sure about what they’re looking for. We present something that ticks all the boxes, yet they’re unsure,” she revealed. Film Initiative offers a hand-picked selection of books, considering possible budget constraints, and then checks on the availability of the rights.

“We try to find the right work for the right person at the right moment in their career, in terms of both today’s trends and those of tomorrow.”

Other key activities carried out by the French firm include attending book fairs, markets, and festivals, managing a large database and newsletter, reading specialised press, and visiting Goodreads and other equivalents. Some of the main events attended by Film Initiative include Books at Berlinale, the Frankfurt Book Fair, the Biennale Book Adaptation Rights Market, and Lyon’s Quais du Polar.

Finally, she touched on Gilles Lellouche’s Beating Hearts [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], a French film adapted from an Irish book. “Stories can travel, and translation always helps. Some stories will ‘translate’ well even if you change the setting. That’s what we call ‘transposability.’ Sometimes, however, stories cannot be detached from the places they occur in, or you’d lose too much,” she concluded.