Book-to-Screen Day 2025: "Frankfurter Buchmesse sees itself as a bridge builder between the publishing world and the creative industries
The film adaptation of the novel "22 Bahnen" ("22 Lengths") receives the ‘Frankfurter Buchmesse Prize for Best Adaptation’ as part of the 2025 Hessian Film and Cinema Awards"
On Friday 17 October 2025, Frankfurter Buchmesse will once again host the Book-to-Screen Day. Producers, screenwriters and filmmakers will have the opportunity to discover new stories, characters and original ideas from the international book industry. With this programme, the fair is putting the adaptation of literature for film and streaming in the spotlight and creating a platform for exchange between the publishing industry and the audiovisual industry through masterclasses, matchmaking formats, networking opportunities, lectures and discussion panels.
"With our Book-to-Screen Day, Frankfurter Buchmesse is sending a clear signal: it sees itself as a bridge builder between the publishing world and the creative industries, in particular the film and series industry. The aim is to bring content developers and producers together with authors and publishers at an early stage, thus promoting the path from book to film adaptation and implementation in other formats such as games," says Juergen Boos, Director Frankfurter Buchmesse.
Events (selection):
Book-to-Screen Day will take place in Hall 5.1 (rooms: Arrival and Relation) and in the Frankfurt Studio Pop-up. It will kick off at 9 a.m. with an exclusive guided tour for international filmmakers. Registration: film@buchmesse.de.
10.00 am – Masterclass (in cooperation with Berlinale Co-Production Market): Claire Lundberg, founder and managing director of CTL Scouting (UK/USA), talks to Erin Cox (Publishing Perspectives) and provides insights into her work as an international literary scout for films and series.
11.00 am – Spotlight (in cooperation with the Brazilian Consulate General): ‘The Passion According to G.H.’ by Clarice Lispector. Discussion with Britta Egetemeier (Penguin Random House Publishing Group) and director Luiz Fernando Carvalho (Brazil).
3.00-5.00 pm – Open Book-to-Screen Lounge (in room Relation): meeting place for publishing, film and games professionals; no registration required.
Award-winning adaptation: ("22 Bahnen") ("22 Lengths")
At 2.00 pm, the event ‘Book-to-Screen Spotlight: "22 Bahnen" – From Bestseller to Film’ (in cooperation with Hessen Film & Medien) is on the programme. Author Caroline Wahl talks to director Mia Maariel Meyer and screenwriter Elena Hell about the film adaptation of her bestseller. Moderator: Julia Weigl, Artistic Director of the Munich Film Festival. Language: German
The film adaptation will be awarded the ‘Frankfurter Buchmesse Prize for Best Adaptation’ on the evening of 17 October as part of the Hessian Film and Cinema Awards (Alte Oper Frankfurt).
Accompanying programme
At the networking reception of the Frankfurt Rights Meeting (Tuesday, 14 October 2025), Keith Bennie, Vice President Public Programming, Toronto Film Festival, will talk about the journey of IP across different formats and the role of festivals and fairs as places for dialogue and innovation.
International partners
ACE Producers, Czech Film Center, EAVE (European Audiovisual Film Entrepreneurs) and ICAA (Instituto de la Cinematografía y de las Artes Audiovisuales – Spanish Film Institute).
The Czech Film Center and ICAA are bringing delegations of international producers to Frankfurt.
German partners
Berlinale Co-Production Market, Hessen Film & Medien, Film- und Kinobüro Hessen e.V, PROG (Producers of Germany) and the DDV (Deutscher Drehbuchverband).
All information at: www.buchmesse.de/en/book-to-screen