Since 2020 LITFILMS is the first festival in Germany that addresses itself explicitly to the various adaptations of literary texts.

The relationships between all the different literary genres and the medium film are as diverse and persistent as film itself. Literary texts have always provided the basis especially for narrative films but for more experimental forms as well. LITFILMS does not only encourage but also demand discussion about the requirements and opportunities for literature films and offers a platform especially for artistically ambitious formats.

The second edition of LITFILMS takes place from September 10th to 25th 2022 in Münster as well as in the surrounding area and includes especially well-established literary places. The program itself will be a hybrid of workshop and festival. It is open not only to ambitious films and texts in dialogue but also meant to encourage further curatorial and artistic exploration of the field.

LITFILMS discusses the interface between literature and film and “turning points” is the festival’s guiding theme in its second edition.

Furthermore, a three-month residency is part of the festival program. The residency offers young writers and filmmakers time, space and a budget to work collaboratively with each other, explore the area, and discuss topics like urban vs. rural life, internal limits, regional and European identity formation etc. The artists selected will also curate part of the festival program. Thus, the festival will continue to evolve dynamically.

The program including film screenings, readings, workshops, discussions and performances will be published in August 2022.

LITFILMS Literature Film Festival Münster is presented by Filmwerkstatt Münster. It is supported by Kunststiftung NRW, Ministerium für Kultur und Wissenschaft des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen and the city of Münster.

Awards & Prizes

Six new feature films are invited to participate in the Inter­national Competition Literary Adaptation. They are based on literary works in a wide variety of ways, formally moving between narrative cinema and experiment, sometimes pushing the boundaries of adaptation. The award for best adaptation ist endowed with € 5,000.

Rules & Terms

Rules of entry Inter­national Competition Literary Adaptation

- Jury award endowed with Euro 5,000 for the best adaptation

1. The festival selects the films to be shown in the competition.
To be considered for entry in the competition, a film must fulfill
the following criteria:
- The film must be a fictional feature film based on previously published fictional material.
- It must be a feature film intended for release on the cinema circuit.
- Production of the film must have been completed between January 2021 and June 2022.
- The film must be at least 61 minutes in length.
- The film must have not yet been released on the cinema circuit or on a streaming platform in Germany.

2. All the films selected will be shown in the original language.
The copy should be subtitled in German or, failing that, in English.

3. Every film submitted will be shown once during the festival in Münster. The festival is free to screen the awarded film two times.

4. A professional jury, consisting of at least three members and appointed by the festival team, will decide on the awarding. Those involved in the production or commercial exploitation of any of the competition films may not be part of the jury.

5. The jury’s verdict will be taken by simple majority. The discussions and the votes will proceed in confidentiality.

6. The award is endowed with Euro 5,000 and the sponsor will present the winning director with a cheque or by bank transfer for this amount.

7. The festival organisers expect directors to be present to introduce their films and the winner to personally collect the award during the award ceremony.

8. Video-DVDs or Blu-ray or streaming links for preview purposes must be delivered to the Festival Münster within the period of submission (by June 30, 2022) and will be retained for storing in the festival archives.

9. The transportation costs of the film copy to the festival will be charged to the sender. There will be no screening fee for submitted films that are selected for the competition.

10. For the duration of the festival the film will be insured at copy value. Insurance protection begins with the arrival of the copy at the festival office and ends on its leaving.

11. If a copy should be damaged, the sender must register that damage within one month from the end of festival. The festival will assume the cost of repair to a maximum amount equivalent to the manufacturing costs of a copy in the same format.

12. The sender is required to obtain permission from any third parties involved in the production to agree to the film being screened at the festival.

13. Registration for participation at the LITFILMS Literature Film Festival Münster 2022 will be deemed to entail acceptance of these rules of entry. The festival management is entitled to decide on any case not covered by the guidelines and to permit exceptions in special cases.

14. The screening copy must have arrived at the Filmwerkstatt Münster by 15 August 2022 at the latest.