How French publishing organisation Scelf is spearheading book-to-screen adaptations

In an IP-dominated industry where literary adaptations abound, France’s collecting management society of book publishers known as Scelf, best known for its Shoot the Book! sessions at major global festivals and markets, is expanding its scope and ambitions.

Launched in 1960, the organisation has three main objectives: to protect authors’ and editors rights in every step of the adaptation process; to promote the books and increase visibility on a global scale among local and international producers; and spearhead training programmes for both publishers and producers. 

“When an author gives us a book that can be adapted, our job is to find the best producer and talent to turn it into a film or series,” explains Scelf president Philippe Robinet.

“On average, we have 700 adaptations at once in the works on any given day from films to series, radio or theatre.”

Every adaptation must pass through Scelf in its journey from page to film or series project.

“The job of a publisher and a producer aren’t the same, they often don’t speak the same language even in France, but they share the same goal, so our mission is to foster dialogue,” says Robinet.

To facilitate the process, Scelf launched its signature Shoot the Book! programme in 2014 at the Cannes Film Festival, bringing together French publishers with film and TV producers

It has since rolled it out at various international events over the years.

It is now hosting its second edition at Rome’s MIA market and is then heading to Taiwan for another second edition at TCFF, part of a French cultural industry export initiative with the support of the French Institute and the French Office in Taipei, alongside the CNC, Series Mania and Unifrance.

In March 2026, Shoot The Book! will take place during the London Book Fair, in partnership with the Institut Français and the British Film Institute.

Among 15 annual events in France, Scelf hosts Shoot the Book! at both Series Mania and Cannes. The 2025 edition at the latter saw 150 books showcased for 462 producers from 34 countries. A recent study by Scelf revealed 30% of the books selected as part of Shoot the Book have signed option agreements with producers.

Other key events include the 18^th edition of Scelf coAudiovisual meetings, where France’s publishing industry takes some 650 meetings with 100 producers, in addition to a presence at Fipadoc in Biarritz, Shoot the Book! Jeunesse in Montreuil, Shoot the Book! Angoulême and Marseille Series Stories.

Recognisable IP

One in every feature film released in French cinemas is a literary adaptation, according to a recent study conducted by the CNL (France’s National Centre of Books). Between 2015–2023, 17% of fiction films and series broadcast in France were literary adaptations. Furthermore, adaptations generate an average of 32% more cinema admissions than films not adapted from books. For Robinet, the reason is simple: “Audiences like to see recognizable IP.

According to the study, 24% of adaptations were based on books published after 2015. “We are seeing more and more demand among producers to see books before they are released,” Robinet says. “As soon as editors announce projects, producers are already interested.”

To help meet this demand, Scelf has amassed more than 5,000 literary works on its digital platform where producers can access both published titles and preview books

Recent French book to film success stories include classic literature adaptations including The Count Of Monte-Cristo, adapted separately as both a theatrical film, and a miniseries for television directed by Billie August starring Sam Claflin and Jeremy Irons, Netflix series Lupin, based on French novelist Maurice Leblanc’s fictional gentleman thief Arsène Lupin, and Francois Ozon’s Venice premiere The Stranger based on Albert Camus’ novel of the same name. 

Further adaptations include festival favourites Olivier Assayas’ The Wizard Of The Kremlin based on Giuliano da Empoli’s debut novel of the same name and Hafsia Herzi’s The Little Sister based on Fatima Daas’ La Petite Dernière and Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Love Me Tender based on a novel by Constance Debré.

Upcoming French IPs en route to screens include an English-language live action adaptation of The Yellow M based on Edgar P. Jacobs’ popular 1950s comic-book series Blake and Mortimer from Belgium’s Belga Films Group, an animation co-production between France and Taiwan to adapt Frederic Marais and Thierry Dedieu’s Bob and Marley, and an adaptation of Lea Maze’s Les Croques by Alex de la Iglesia’s Spain-based Pokeepsie Films.

The adaptation market has become so dynamic that Robinet adds: “More and more producers tell us they have hired someone specifically to work as a scout specifically to look for IPs to adapt.”

Contact: Valerie Barthez