Jacaranda Books Pitches Living the Dream for Jury at Marché du Film Cannes

Jacaranda Books Art music LTD was one of 12 publishers selected to present at the 11th edition of Shoot The Book! Organised by SCELF (Société Civile des Éditeurs de Langue Française). This year’s edition marked the continuation of an exciting collaboration between SCELF and the Marché du Film.

Their selected title: Living the Dream by Isabelle Dupuy was “handpicked for their strong potential to make the leap from page to screen.” The book was pitched by CEO Valerie Brandes at the Press Conference Room of the Festival de Cannes to an audience of film & TV producers seeking future film projects.

A comedy-thriller set in a wealthy London borough during the year of the Brexit vote, Living the Dream is a story that seamlessly blends personal drama with social critique and was the sole title from a UK publisher, alongside literary works from France, the US, and Switzerland selected for this year's festival.

The event was launched with a powerful introduction by Thierry Frémaux (director of the Institut Lumière, of the Lumière Film Festival and of the Cannes Film Festival) highlighting the link between literature and cinema, and with over 462 producers in attendance, with the aim of connecting the publishing world with the global film industry. 

For Valerie Brandes, being selected to pitch on this global stage, “was a very proud moment for Jacaranda and myself as Publisher. As our first foray into the world of book to film adaptations, we had an excellent experience, made great connections and our book LIVING THE DREAM was wonderfully well-received.”

In the audience for the pitches on the 15th May was the book’s author, Isabelle Dupuy, who comments: “to see my first novel featured at the Cannes Film Festival was incredible. To hear my publisher Valerie Brandes tell its story on stage is an experience I will always cherish and remember.”

Following the presentation, Valerie Brandes and Niki Igbaroola (Campaigns Manager, Jacaranda Books) met with producers from across the world, furthering conversations about the selected title, Living the Dream as well as their wider catalogue. Over a long weekend, they took part in a number of over 390 meetings between publishers and producers, and are continuing to build new pathways to leverage IP for their titles and authors as an Independent Publishing House.