Launching of “Francfort en français / Frankfurt auf französisch”
Frankfurt, 20 October 2016 – From the 11th to the 15th of October 2017, France will be the guest of honour of the 69th edition of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the most important event of the publishing industry, destined to professionals and readers from all over the world. During the launching conference of the 20th of October at the Frankfurter Buchmesse, the Prime Minister Manuel Valls emphasized the relevance of this prestigious invitation which honours France, almost 30 years after the 1989 edition: “culture, and especially the culture of the book, has always been central in exceptional relation between the two countries”. French is indeed the second most translated language in Germany, German is the third most translated language in France and the cession of rights from French to German has strongly progressed for 2017. Both countries are involved in promoting the economic models of their book industry at an European level, a commitment underlined by Juergen Boos, President of the Frankfurter Buchmesse: “By inviting France as Guest of Honour of the Frankfurter Buchmesse, we want to take care and reinforce the big structures of cultural exchanges. The question of the European identity can only be solved by the combination of our national differences. Today, while frontiers are losing their relevance because of digitization and globalization, new forms of cultural cooperations are inventing themselves.”
At the heart of the “Francfort en français” program are the French language and the francophone literature. The program features three strong themes: innovation and digital work, the French language as language of knowledge sharing and hospitality, and the renewal of the Franco-German cultural exchanges through youth.
The invitation will be the climax of a Cultural Year all over Germany, with a rich and pluridisciplinary program of cultural events organized by the Institut français Germany. In 2017 indeed, more than 300 events will be labelled “Francfort en français” associating theater, contemporary music, visual arts, cinema and literary meetings as well as 250 French speaking artists and authors will travel all over the country. This Cultural Year will be marked by great moments before the Frankfurter Buchmesse 2017, especially the LitKöln, the cooperation between the Quai du Polar of Lyon and the Leipzig Book Fair, and the Authors’ Tour of Germany, starting with the Tour of France from Düsseldorf.
As operator of the ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Development and the ministry of Culture and Communication, the Institut français is in charge of this invitation, in coordination with the Centre national du livre, the Syndicat national de l'édition and the Bureau international de l'édition française, and in tight partnership with the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, Wallonie-Bruxelles and Pro Helvetia. It benefits from the support of numerous territorial collectivities and from the Club des Partenaires presided by the BNP Paribas group.
About the Frankfurter Buchmesse
The Frankfurter Buchmesse is the international publishing industry’s biggest trade fair – with 7,100 exhibitors from more than 100 countries, around 275,000 visitors, over 4,000 events and approximately 10,000 accredited journalists – including 2,000 bloggers - in attendance. It also gathers key players from other media, including the film and games industries. Since 1976, the Book Fair has featured an annual Guest of Honour country, which showcases its book market, literature and culture to attendees in a variety of ways. The Frankfurter Buchmesse organises the participation of German publishers at around 20 international book fairs and hosts trade events throughout the year in major international markets. With its Business Club, the Frankfurter Buchmesse offers essential services and an ideal setting for the activities of publishers, entrepreneurs, pioneers, experts and visionaries. The Frankfurt Book Fair is a subsidiary of the German Publishers & Booksellers Association. www.book-fair.com
Contact for the media:
Institut français
Jean-François Guéganno, Director of Communication and Philanthropy, jeanfrancois.gueganno@institutfrancais.com
Olivier Couderc, Press Relations, olivier.couderc@institutfrancais.com
Anne-France Laugel, Communication “Francfort en français / Frankfurt auf französisch”, annefrance.laugel@institutfrancais.com
German speaking Agency BUCH CONTACT
Murielle Rousseau, tel.: +49 (0) 761 29 60 4-0, buchcontact@buchcontact.de
French speaking Agency Pierre Laporte
Samira Chabri, Laurent Jourdren, Pierre Laporte, tel.: +49 (0) 1 45 23 14 14, info@pierre-laporte.com
Press & Corporate Communications, Frankfurter Buchmesse
Katja Böhne, Vice President Marketing & Communications, tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-138, press@book-fair.com
Jördis Hille, PR Manager, Tel.: +49 (0) 69 2102-271, hille@book-fair.com
Press information online | www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-releases
Photos in print quality | www.buchmesse.de/en/press/press-material