International Festival of French-Speaking Authors - Livres en Scènes

Livres en Scènes is part of La Ciotat's official programme to celebrate 130 years of cinema.

This is a unique edition of the international festival of French-speaking authors, which is part of La Ciotat's programming as one of the key cultural events of 2025, thanks to the positioning of the network and the worldwide distribution of the Rencontre des Auteurs Francophones platform.

The network's authors will be the focus of a programme built around :

At the end of the day on Saturday 7 June and Sunday 8 June, a programme of films adapted from best-selling books, in the presence of the renowned author.

After the film has been shown, the authors will be welcomed on stage to talk about the writer's approach to film, their role in writing the film and their feelings about it. A discussion with the audience and the authors in the auditorium.

An evening followed by the signing of the authors' latest and previous works.

In the courtyard, the public will discover, among the dozens of authors present, perhaps the screenplay of tomorrow... Meetings, signings and events with the authors present: stage readings, children's activities, workshops, etc.

Saturday 7th June
Philippe Vilain - Patron and guest of honour

Philippe Vilain is the patron of Livres en Scènes 2025 and guest of honour at the event on 7 June, with the screening of the film adapted from his novel Pas son genre.
After the screening of the film, the audience will be able to discuss with him the author's feelings about adapting his work into images, his role, his ability to share his writings, etc.
Secondly, time will be devoted to one of the key books of the new year, Mauvais élève, his autofiction in which he recounts his childhood, questions his path as a defector and dissects his affair with Annie Ernaux. It's also a formidable testimony to the power of books and how a book can change a person's destiny. In this case, Philippe Vilain's.

Philippe Vilain has written numerous novels. He also teaches French literature at the Università Federico II in Naples and directs the collection Narratori francesi contemporanei published by Gremese. He is the author of numerous novels, including La dernière année, Paris l'après-midi (Prix François Mauriac de l'Académie française), Pas son genre (adapted for the cinema), La Femme infidèle (Prix Jean-Freustrié) and La Malédiction de la Madone (Prix Méditerranée), L'été à Dresde, Un matin d'hiver, La femme infidèle,L'étreinte, as well as a number of acclaimed essays.

An honorary member of the Rencontre des Auteurs Francophones since 2022, he has agreed to be the patron of the first edition of Livres en Scènes.

NB: The young Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne plays the lead role in this beautiful film. A tribute will be paid to her. Her untimely death on 16 March at the age of 43 shocked everyone.


Sunday 8 June
Julien Sandrel, guest of honour

Julien Sandrel will be the guest of honour on the evening of 8 June with the screening of the film adapted from his novel La chambre des merveilles, published in 2023.

After the screening, time will be devoted to the novel that changed his life and propelled him into the world of successful writers. He will also talk about the film world, which he knows well as he is also a screenwriter. His dual perspective enables him to approach adaptation from a different angle.

Time will also be devoted to his latest novel and the next one due out in October.

Philippe Vilain is an honorary member of Rencontre des Auteurs Francophones.

Julien Sandrel was born in Hyères in 1980 and lives in Paris. His first novel, La Chambre des merveilles, was a runaway success and won several literary prizes, including the Prix Méditerranée des lycéens. Translated in twenty-seven countries and adapted for the stage, it has also been adapted for the cinema by director Lisa Azuelos and actress Alexandra Lamy.

His subsequent novels have all been bestsellers. Alongside his work as a novelist, Julien Sandrel works as a screenwriter, both on adaptations of his novels and on original projects.

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