Relationsbetween the publishing and film industries are to be intensified with a yetcloser collaboration between the Berlin International Film Festival and theFrankfurt Book Fair with the staging of joint industry events during thisyear's event between October 19-23.

Thecollaboration was initially launched at the begining of this year with a seriesof professional meetings at February's Berlinale and will now see the festivalbeing a guest at the Book Fair's "Forum Film & TV" on October 19with the screening of four literary adaptations - Reza Bagher's PopularmusikFran Vittutla (Sweden/Finland), Robert Guediguian's The Last Mitterand (France), Mike Mills' Thumbsucker (USA), and DavidMacKenzie's Asylum (USA/Ireland) - from the 2005 festival, which are stillwithout a German distributor. .

In addition, the Berlinale will be inviting formerparticipants of its Co-Production Market to take part in the new Speed DatingSessions being organised at the Fair's International Agents Centre for filmproducers to have one-on-one meetings with international publishers and agents.

Accordingto the Book Fair's new director Juergen Boos, the introduction of the speeddating model (instead of the public pitches as staged last year) was furtherevidence of "the Book Fair and Berlinale (..) taking another step towardsthe intensification and professionalisation of contacts between the twoindustries."

"Thegoal is to initiate new projects through the exchange between literature andfilm," Berlinale director Dieter Kosslick commented. "We would like toestablish both events as marketplaces for film material."

NextFebruary, the Book Fair will have a stand in the newly established EuropeanFilm Market in the Martin Gropius Bau and workshops on the relationship betweenthe book and film worlds will be held as part of the Co-Production Market'ssidebar events.

Inaddition, the cinema at the Book Fair's "Forum Film & TV" will beused by various distributors for special screenings: 20th Century Fox will showCurtis Hanson's comedy In Her Shoes, UIP the new remake of Pride And Prejudice,and Constantin Film Doris Doerrie's latest feature The Fisherman And His Wife, while X Verleih willpresent the San Sebastian prize-winner Summer In Berlin and Dani Levy'sbox-office hit Go For Zucker! - An Unorthodox Comedy.