Dubai publisher to join Venice Film Festival

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

A Dubai-based publisher, The Dreamwork Collective, has been selected to take part in the 8th edition of the Book Adaptation Rights Market, to be staged next month as part of the 80th Venice International Film Festival.

One of just 34 international publishing houses and literary agencies chosen for the exclusive invitation-only event, The Dreamwork Collective will have the opportunity to represent the UAE and present its entire catalogue of books for adaptation to the film industry.

Kira Jean, CEO and Founder of The Dreamwork Collective, said, “We are honoured to be among the select few publishers to receive Gold Accreditation and to present our titles for adaption to the film industry. It is a huge step towards introducing the powerful stories we publish in the Emirates to the screen, and we are thrilled to represent the region’s best writing talent as we meet renowned filmmakers and producers at this year’s Venice International Film Festival.”

Convening in the Hotel Excelsior on Lido di Venezia, the Book Adaptation Rights Market is part of the Venice Production Bridge, which stages a range of unique initiatives to advance the development and production of film. The Market provides publishers with a dedicated platform to conduct one-on-one meetings with the producers registered to the Venice International Film Festival, to discuss the adaptation of novels, dramas, children’s literature, short stories, comics, graphic novels, essays, and biographies.

As an independent publisher with a focus on authors in the Middle East and North Africa regions, The Dreamwork Collective has established a reputation for championing voices often neglected by the mainstream. The invitation to the Venice Book Adaptation Rights Market is a first among publishers across the region and recognises the diverse voices and powerful stories backed by the all-female team.

The annual Book Adaptation Rights Market places a spotlight on a different literary genre each year and the 2023 edition will be dedicated to publications for children and young adults.

Among the titles to be presented by The Dreamwork Collective is The Secret Life of Dubai’s Street Cats, by Bashayer Arif. A touching and triumphant story for cat lovers of all ages, the book has sold over 90,000 copies worldwide. Also featuring in the publisher’s children’s literature catalogue is Just Jessica, by author and Paralympian Jessica Smith, who draws on her own life experiences to tell the story of a schoolgirl who is slightly different from her friends.