For two decades, the Berlinale Co-Production Market has bridged the worlds of literature and cinema through Books at Berlinale, the pioneering rights platform launched in 2006 in partnership with the Frankfurter Buchmesse. As the first such initiative at an A-list film festival, it has brought producers face-to-face with literary rights holders, fostering adaptations that span features, series, and beyond.
Over nearly 100 submissions this year, ten standout books have been chosen for the 21st edition. These will be pitched on February 16, 2026, in a moderated session led by author Syd Atlas during the Co-Production Market. The selected authors hail from Belgium, the Czech Republic (this year’s Frankfurter Buchmesse Guest of Honour), Denmark, Germany, Israel, Mauritius, Mexico, Taiwan, and Turkey—reflecting a truly global lineup.
Social, historical, and political themes dominate, with a notable emphasis on female perspectives across the 20th and 21st centuries. Nathacha Appanah’s Night at the Heart (La nuit au cœur) weaves the interconnected stories of three women scarred by domestic violence. Guadalupe Nettel’s Still Born (La hija única) delves deeply into motherhood, life, and loss through its three protagonists. Tove Ditlevsen’s Dependency (Gift) offers a raw, unflinching look at addiction, relationships, and the quest for autonomy.
Solvej Balle’s acclaimed On the Calculation of Volume (Om udregning af rumfang), already translated into over 30 languages, explores time, space, and identity through a protagonist trapped in an endless loop of November 18—posing profound existential riddles with clear cinematic promise.
Historical narratives shine in two works: Robert Löhr’s Oberammergau, a witty tracing of the world’s most famous passion play back to the 17th century, and Eli Beneš’s bestselling A Slight Loss of Loneliness (Nepatrná ztráta osamělosti), a poetic tale of an Auschwitz survivor’s journey through loneliness, friendship, survival, and yearning for connection.
Tomer Gardi’s To Deliver (Liefern) delivers five interwoven stories of global delivery workers, painting a vivid, urgent portrait of our interconnected world ripe for screen translation.
Coming-of-age stories highlight the magic of narrative itself: Taiwan’s Girl in an Odd City (Kuai chen shao nu) by Kiki Liu and Turkey’s Yuan Huan’s Phone Booth (Yuan Huan’ın Kulübesi) by Miyase Sertbarut. Rounding out the selection is Gaea Schoeters’s satirical The Gift (Het geschenk), which deploys humor and the surreal image of 20,000 elephants invading a city to probe climate crisis, colonial legacies, and Europe’s refugee policies.
The full list of selected works (English title / original title; alphabetical by presenting company):
- On the Calculation of Volume / Om udregning af rumfang (Solvej Balle, Denmark), Copenhagen Literary Agency, Denmark
- Night at the Heart / La nuit au cœur (Nathacha Appanah, Mauritius/France), Gallimard, France
- Oberammergau (Robert Löhr, Germany), Graf & Graf Literatur- und Medienagentur, Germany
- Dependency / Gift (Tove Ditlevsen, Denmark), Gyldendal Group Agency, Denmark
- Still Born / La hija única (Guadalupe Nettel, Mexico), Indent Literary Agency, USA
- To Deliver / Liefern (Tomer Gardi, Israel), Klett-Cotta Verlag, Germany
- A Slight Loss of Loneliness / Nepatrná ztráta osamělosti (Eli Beneš, Czech Republic), Prague Literary Agency, Czech Republic
- Girl in an Odd City / Kuai chen shao nu (Kiki Liu, Taiwan), Sense Creative Management Ltd., Taiwan
- Yuan Huan’s Phone Booth / Yuan Huan’ın Kulübesi (Miyase Sertbarut, Turkey), Silva Literary Agency, Turkey
- The Gift / Het geschenk (Gaea Schoeters, Belgium), Singel Uitgeverijen, Netherlands
This year’s lineup joins a legacy of strong screen potential. Past selections from Books at Berlinale have contributed to notable adaptations, including films like Tuya (based on Claudia Piñeiro’s novel) and Naked Among Wolves (Nackt unter Wölfen, from Bruno Apitz’s classic), which trace their early momentum back to the platform. More broadly, the initiative has helped spotlight material that resonates in arthouse and international circuits, underscoring its role in connecting literary IPs with producers.
Sources: Berlinale Pro / Berlinale Co-Production Market official announcements and Frankfurter Buchmesse press materials.
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