KVIFF launches inaugural “Book-to-Screen at KVIFF” with Central and Eastern European adaptation pitches

The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) expanded its Industry Days program this week with an inaugural “Book-to-Screen at KVIFF” showcase, bringing publishers, authors, and screen-industry representatives together around original literary properties from Central and Europe that participants say are suitable for adaptation to film or television. The event took place Tuesday during the 60th edition of the Czech spa-town festival’s Industry Days.

Organizers described the initiative as a regional effort to create a more structured marketplace for adaptation rights. “Our long-term ambition with Book-to-Screen at KVIFF is to become a true Central-Eastern European IP market that helps develop dialogue between the film and publishing industries and create a more transparent environment for adaptation rights in the region,” Hugo Rosák, head of KVIFF Film Industry Programs, said during the showcase.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the program featured eight original literary IPs presented as pitch opportunities in the festival’s Imperial Spa, a venue that blends traditional and contemporary architecture. The adaptation focus covered a range of settings and time periods, with the presenters grouping stories that span past, present, and future themes.

Among the titles highlighted in coverage was “Cupid at the Kremlin Wall,” described as a historical drama and detective novel from Georgia, authored by Aka Morchiladze and published by Sulakauri Publishing. The pitch synopsis says the story unfolds during a train journey across Georgia at the height of Stalinist terror in the 1930s, and it characterizes Morchiladze as an author with more than 30 novels published across 15 countries, along with screenwriting experience.

The same showcase also spotlighted “The Slovak Woody Allen,” a literary property presented as a comedic or character-driven concept in the festival’s book-to-screen framing, and “an Orwellian Bistro,” another of the adaptation pitches that The Hollywood Reporter listed among the selections. The article positioned these works as part of a broader slate of Central and Eastern European writing that industry participants could translate to screen narratives.

KVIFF’s Industry Days have increasingly sought to formalize rights discussions and reduce friction in the development pipeline between the publishing and screen sectors. With “Book-to-Screen at KVIFF” positioned as a debut platform, organizers appear to be testing whether a dedicated adaptation-rights marketplace format can attract sustained attention beyond the festival window.

The festival’s next steps, as reflected in the showcase structure, are tied to the pitch process itself, with the festival acting as a convening venue for rights conversations. While the program’s public presentation does not equate to deals, it is designed to bring adaptation stakeholders into the same room early, when discussions about rights, format, and production viability are typically first initiated.

The appearance of three featured pitches with distinctive international or regional identities also underscored the festival’s stated regional intent. KVIFF Industry Days, by adding this strand for the first time, aims to create an IP-focused discussion space specifically centered on Central and Eastern Europe.

Key program details such as the full list of all eight properties, the presenters attached to each pitch, and any follow-on rights meetings or development outcomes would be expected to be handled through the festival’s industry channels rather than through public release immediately after the showcase.