Cannes picks Sanusi and Fallé adaptions
- Marché du Film and SCELF picked eight books for Cannes 2026’s Shoot the Book!, including Abidemi Sanusi’s *Looking for Bono* and Nincemon Fallé’s *These Blazing Suns*. (marchedufilm.com) - The program runs 14-15 May 2026 at the Palais, with live pitches plus one-on-one rights meetings aimed at film and TV producers. (marchedufilm.com) - It matters because Cannes is treating literary IP as deal flow now — not prestige garnish — and the lineup is more international than usual. (marchedufilm.com)
Book adaptation rights are the real story here. Cannes’ market arm, the Marché du Film, and SCELF have chosen eight novels and graphic works for the 2026 edition of Shoot the Book(marchedufilm.com)idemi Sanusi’s *Looking for Bono* and Nincemon Fallé’s *These Blazing Suns* made the final lineup announced on 22 April, ahead of the Cannes market dates on 14-15 May 2026. (marchedufilm.com) ### What is Shoot the Book, exactly? B(marchedufilm.com)F and the Marché du Film, and it brings publishers, rights holders, producers, and buyers into the same room to pitch books with strong screen potential. This year’s setup includes public pitches and curated one-on-one meetings called Rendez-Vous, all inside the Palais des Festivals during the market. (marchedufilm.com) ### What changed this week? The concrete news is the 2026 pitches selection. Marché du Film and SCELF named eight project(marchedufilm.com)here. That matters because selection is the gate into the actual Cannes-facing pitch sessions producers attend. (marchedufilm.com) ### Why do Sanusi and Fallé matter here? Because these are not token inclusions from the margins. *Looking for Bono*, published by Jacaranda in the UK, is framed by the market as a dar(marchedufilm.com)culture and personal ambition. *These Blazing Suns*, published by JC Lattès, follows Iro, a university student in Abidjan whose father’s death pulls him back into family and village revelations. One is satirical and outward-facing. The other is intimate and social. Both are easy to imagine on screen for very different reasons. (marchedufilm.com)nt stories that are already written, already tested on readers, and already wrapped in clear rights ownership. Shoot the Book is designed around that logic — publishers present the work, then producers move straight into deal conversations about film, television, and digital formats. It is less a cultural side event than a pipeline for sourcing projects. (marchedufilm.com) ### Why only eight projects? The small number is the point. Cannes is not trying to build a g(marchedufilm.com)tial, then giving each project real face time with international producers. This year’s official selection page says the lineup spans psychological drama, thriller, crime, action, dystopia, comedy, and drama, with books chosen for screen readiness rather than literary prestige alone. (marchedufilm.com) ### What’s different about the 2026 edition? The lineup is notably international. (marchedufilm.com)Spain’s adaptation market and on manga and animation links between France and Japan. So the frame is wider than “French publishers at Cannes.” It is more like Cannes trying to act as a global rights exchange. (marchedufilm.com) ### So what should readers take from this? The big shift is that festival markets are chasing books as pre-b(marchedufilm.com)or Bono* or *These Blazing Suns* lands a producer match in Cannes this month, the selection announcement will look less like a cultural nod and more like the first step in a real adaptation deal. (marchedufilm.com)
