Festival de Nice Cinéroman - The Little Festival That Could

The Festival de Nice Cinéroman has quietly become one of France’s most respected showcases for literary adaptation

Literary adaptation remains one of cinema’s most enduring challenges. When novels become films, questions of fidelity, interpretation, and artistic transformation inevitably arise. From September 29 to October 4, Festival Cinéroman returns for its seventh edition, examining these questions through contemporary French cinema drawn from novels, memoirs, and graphic works across the city’s venues.

Founded in 2019 by Daniel and Nathalie Benoin to commemorate the centenary of the legendary Victorine Studios, the festival has evolved far beyond commemoration into something more essential: a serious examination of how literature and cinema speak to each other. Daniel Benoin, the festival’s institutional president and experienced theatre director, brings theatrical sensibility to film curation, understanding that adaptation requires the same collaborative spirit that defines successful stage productions. Under actress Sandrine Kiberlain’s artistic presidency, this year’s programme demonstrates sophisticated understanding of adaptation as creative dialogue rather than mere transposition.

The competition selection groups naturally around several themes. Contemporary trauma finds expression in Martin Bourboulon’s 13 jours, 13 nuits, dramatising Commandant Mohamed Bida’s memoir of evacuating Kabul during the 2021 Taliban takeover, and Emmanuel Finkiel’s La Chambre de Mariana, adapting Aharon Appelfeld’s wartime survival novel about a Jewish boy hidden during Nazi occupation. Both films demonstrate how recent and historical memory transforms through literary then cinematic treatment.

Psychological thrillers appear in Lucas Belvaux’s Les Tourmentés, adapting his own novel about a former legionnaire becoming human prey, and Yann Gozlan’s Dalloway, transposing Tatiana de Rosnay’s anticipation novel into a story about AI threatening the creative process.

Gozlan’s film, featuring Cécile de France opposite Mylène Farmer’s voice, premiered at Cannes before arriving in Nice.

Personal narratives span generations and styles. Ken Scott’s Ma Mère, Dieu et Sylvie Vartan adapts Roland Perez’s autobiography about overcoming disability, while Amélie et la Métaphysique des tubes transforms Amélie Nothomb’s childhood memoir into animation. Alex Lutz’s Connemara continues the festival’s relationship with Nicolas Mathieu, whose previous novel opened the 2024 edition.

Beyond competition screenings, the programme includes premieres and retrospective films across venues including Pathé Gare du Sud, Cinéma Rialto, the Cinémathèque de Nice, and the Théâtre de l’Artistique. Masterclasses and debates examine adaptation’s complexities, while the professional market launched in 2024 facilitates meetings between authors, producers, and filmmakers.

Educational components target young audiences through workshops and screenings designed to explore both literature and cinema’s possibilities. This outreach acknowledges the festival’s role in cultural transmission, introducing new generations to adaptation’s particular challenges and rewards.

Poster for Festival de Nice Cinéroman 2025

The festival’s growth also reflects Nice’s broader cinema ambitions under Mayor Christian Estrosi’s administration. Municipal policies now include financial aid for screenplay development and production support, positioning Nice as a serious filmmaking destination. Events like Cinéroman demonstrate the city’s commitment to sophisticated cultural programming beyond tourism.

Festival Cinéroman occupies a particular niche within France’s cultural landscape, focusing specifically on adaptation rather than broader cinema programming. This specialisation attracts filmmakers, writers, and audiences interested in the collaborative process of transforming literature into film, creating conversations that extend beyond individual screenings. And the Victorine Studios’ legacy provides historical context for contemporary discussions. Where Jean Cocteau and Jacques Demy once created lasting works, today’s filmmakers continue exploring how written words become moving images.

Poster fro Festival de Nice Cinéroman 2025

The festival’s CNC recognition validates its cultural significance while maintaining independence from commercial pressures that often shape adaptation choices. In Nice’s cinema venues, artistic integrity takes precedence over market considerations, allowing complex literary works to find appropriate cinematic treatment.

As streaming platforms increasingly dominate viewing habits, curated festivals like Cinéroman assert alternative values. Their programming argues for sustained attention over algorithmic suggestion, for thoughtful adaptation over recognisable features. The seventh edition continues this mission, celebrating the continuing vitality of literature’s relationship with cinema.