04/10/2002

Film directors, writers and editors are gathering in Monaco for the second Film and Writing Forum that will that run from 3 to 6 October 2003.
Organised by Claire Breuvart and Hans-Stephan Kreidel, the forum confirms the huge interest in the film industry for adapting literary texts, cartoons included, into films. Having inspired Olivier Mégaton to make La Sirène Rouge, the works of G. Dantec have found a new convert in Mathieu Kassovitz who is currently working on the film adaptation of a book entitled "Babylon Babies" while Amélie Nothomb’s best selling “Stupeurs et Tremblements” was made into a film directed by Alain Corneau and produced by Alain Sarde. Claude Berri drew inspiration from Christian Oster’s book “La Femme de Ménage” for his latest feature. Jean-Pierre Jeunet of Amélie fame is working on Un long dimanche de fiançailles based on the novel by Sébastien Japrisot. Benôit Jacquot’s new film, Adolphe starring Isabelle Adjani, is scheduled for release onto 30 French screens on 30 October and is an adaptation of Stephan Zweig’s famous "24 Hours in the Life of a Woman”.
The French film industry has clearly discovered a new genre and is exploiting it to the hilt: 8 women and a mystery at the theatre, contemporary literature featured in L’adversaire and even a famous cartoon like “Asterix and Obelix” has been transformed into not one but two screen hits, the organisers of the Monaco Forum realised the time was ripe to hold the first market for the literary adaptation sector.
The programme also includes the presentation of five awards including best adaptation from a book that will go to Michel Blanc for Baciate chi vi pare (Kiss whomever you choose) starring Carole Bouquet, Charlotte Rampling and Jacques Dutronc, that is scheduled for release in France on 9 October.
This year’s award winners also include Fidélité Productions’ Marc Missionnier and Olivier Delbosc as the best young producers of 8 women and a mystery.

(Translated from French)