For the fifth time in three years, the Booker Prizes have partnered with Sharon Horgan and Clelia Mountford’s production company Merman Television on a series of short films featuring well-known performers reading extracts from the shortlisted books. Their release has become one of the most highly anticipated moments in the Booker Prizes’ calendar, with some of the UK’s leading acting and filmmaking talent keen to take part. The previous set of films, published in April, were viewed over 32 million times across the Booker Prizes’ social media channels.
The new films, which showcase the 2024 shortlist for the Booker Prize, the world’s most influential award for a single work of fiction, are directed by writer, director and producer Sebastian Thiel, one of UK television’s fastest-rising stars. His directing credits include the International Emmy-nominated BBC Three comedy Dreaming Whilst Black, and the recent Netflix series Supacell.
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The performers featured are: Adelayo Adedayo (The Responder, Some Girls), Nonso Anozie (Sweet Tooth, Game of Thrones), Chipo Chung (Silo, His Dark Materials), Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The Death of Stalin), Will Poulter (Dopesick, Midsommar) and Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education, The Decameron).
The films will premiere at a Booker Prize shortlist event at the Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literature Festival at 10.30am on Saturday, 12 October, and will be published on the Booker Prizes website (thebookerprizes.com) and social channels (@thebookerprizes) the same day. They will also be shown at the Booker Prize 2024 ceremony, which will be held at Old Billingsgate, London, on Tuesday, 12 November.
The trailer for the films can be watched here.
Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation, says:
‘Over the past three years the films we make with Merman have become not only one of the highlights of the Booker year, but works of art in their own right: a project that world-class actors and filmmakers want to be a part of.
‘We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone involved for the impact they have in inspiring more people to read some of the century’s greatest books.
‘Watching extraordinary actors bring fragments of the Booker shortlisted books to life is a huge thrill, and seeing the love the films get from the public once they’re out in the world proves how vivid these stories can be for everyone. We receive countless comments from people saying they want to buy and read the whole book as a result.
‘This time round the six films have been conjured by the artistry of Sebastian Thiel and his talented crew, including Director of Photography Evelin van Rei. Along with the brilliant producers and casting director at Merman, a true dream team!
‘We hope you enjoy these films as much as we have.’
The six books – and the performers reading extracts from them in the films – are as follows:
James by Percival Everett – read by Nonso Anozie
Orbital by Samantha Harvey – read by Will Poulter
Creation Lake by Rachel Kushner – read by Adelayo Adedayo
Held by Anne Michaels – read by Jason Isaacs
The Safekeep by Yael van der Wouden – read by Tanya Reynolds
Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood – read by Chipo Chung
The winner will be announced on Tuesday, 12 November 2024. The announcement will be broadcast live in a special edition of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row at 9.30pm, and livestreamed on the Booker Prizes’ social channels.
