THE QUAIS DU POLAR PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM

At the heart of the Quais du Polar festival, Polar Connection marks a special milestone in the calendar of thriller professionals. A shared interest in the genre brings together all these French and international players for the 11th edition. The event is first and foremost a platform for exchange, reflection and collaboration.

For three intense days, from 5 to 7 April 2024, Polar Connection will take over the Palais de la Bourse, the central venue for accredited participants. The first floor will be the meeting point for round tables led by professionals in the field, as well as formal and informal meetings in the Polar Connection Lounge and the meeting areas.

Polar Connection a été conçu comme une boîte à outils complète destinée aux professionnels du livre, de l’audiovisuel, du numérique, de l’action culturelle, et bien au-delà. Durant ces trois jours, les participants auront l’occasion d’explorer le potentiel infini du genre polar et les sujets d’actualité des industries créatives qui y sont liés, à travers des discussions, des ateliers, et des rencontres inspirantes. Le programme favorise également les rendez-vous BtoB et les occasions de prise de contacts.

Highlights :

- Round Tables: Expert speakers will discuss the major challenges facing their professions, offering an in-depth view of the world of thrillers.

- Formal and informal meetings: The Palais de la Bourse, with its Polar Connection Lounge on the 1st floor, is the ideal venue for BtoB exchanges, encouraging networking between professionals in the field.

- Toolbox: Polar Connection aims to provide participants with a toolbox to help them exploit the full potential of polar fleece in their various fields of activity.

- Source of Inspiration: Quais du Polar serves as a point of reference and a source of inspiration, thanks to the abundance and diversity of its programming. The independent booksellers who run the festival's Grande Librairie play a role in recommending and helping people to find what they're looking for.

See the Polar Connection photo gallery at the bottom of this page.

Program

Friday April 5th

Morning

9:30 Polar Connection opens
Welcome lounge and coffee

10:00 - 11:00     Tony Garnier Room
Round Table Scouting or launching new voices in Crime and Noir fiction on the international scene
Perspectives from publishers and festival organizers
With
Tiziana Elsa Prina, publisher, Edizioni Le Assassine
Irek Grin, head of Wroclaw City of Literature and Crime fiction festival
Tereza Lebodová, publisher, GRADA / Cosmopolis
Christopher MacLehose, publisher, Open Borders Press
Sverrir Norland, author, translator
Ioanna Petridou, festival organiser, Athens Agatha Crime Festival
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, festival organiser, Iceland Noir and author
Moderated by Vincent Raymond
English / French Simultaneous translation

10:15 - 11:00     Ampère room
Meeting / Workshop - Police experts at the service of authors
What resources, what processes, what partnerships?
With
Maud Fée, National Police Headquarters
Cédric Jamey, Police Nationale and script consultant
Catherine Moreau-Jung, Mission Cinéma, Ministry of the Interior
Pierre Pascaud, Spokesman, National Scientific Police Service
Moderated by Léa Jeanne Boehringer, scriptwriter

11:15 - 12:00  Ampère room
Meeting / Workshop - Exploring the role of the UNESCO Creative Cities of Literature network in strengthening a city's literary activities

With
Tiziana Elsa Prina, publisher, Edizioni Le Assassine
Irek Grin, head of Wroclaw City of Literature and Crime fiction festival
Tereza Lebodová, publisher, GRADA / Cosmopolis
Kjartan Már Ómarsson, director, Reykjavik City of Literature,
Sverrir Norland, author, translator - Reykjavik
Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Festival Organiser, Iceland Noir - Reykjavik,
Ivan Wadeson, Director, Manchester City of Literature,
Introduction: Nathalie Perrin-Gilbert, Deputy Mayor of Lyon, Delegate for Culture
Moderation: Albane Lafanechère, President of Quais du Polar
English / French Simultaneous translation   

11:15 - 12:00  Tony Garnier Room
Round Table - Key figures for crime and thrillers fiction

Focus Polar on the studies "The second-hand book market" (SOFIA) and "Film and audiovisual adaptations of literary works" (CNL)
With
Geoffroy Pelletier, director of SOFIA,
Pascal Perrault, general director of CNL
Moderated by Vincent Raymond, journalist

12:15 - 13:00  Chapelle de la trinité
Presentation of the Polar en séries - Scelf award
A pitch presentation of Polar en séries’ selection followed by the announcement of the 2024 winner
With
Kim Beci, Mediatoon
Solène Caron, Les Avrils, Groupe Delcourt
Yannick Dehée, Nouveau Monde éditions
Nathalie Demoulin, Le Rouergue
Mahmoud Larguem, Nouvelle Hydre
Léa Riche, Gallimard
with the jury members and Nathalie Piakowski, general director of the SCELF
Moderation: Isabelle Fauvel, audiovisual consultant, Initiative Film
English / French Simultaneous translation   

Afternoon

13:00 - 14:00 Chapelle de la trinité 
Luncheon Cocktail

14:15 - 15:00  Ampère room
Meeting / Workshop - Unesco Creative Cities of Literature
Case studies of Reykjavik and Manchester
with
Kjartan Már Ómarsson, director, Reykjavik City of Literature
Ivan Wadeson, director, Manchester City of Literature,
Moderated by Albane Lafanechère, president of Quais du polar
English / French Simultaneous translation

14:30 - 15:30  Tony Garnier room
Round Table Literary writing, audiovisual writing: different approaches and creative processes from the authors' point of view
With authors
Hannelore Cayre (France), Terry Hayes (Great Britain) Jo Nesbø (Norway)
Moderation: Perrine Quennesson, journalist
English / French Simultaneous translation   

15:15 - 16:15  Ampère room
Round Table  The role of the paperback format in highlighting crime writers and their texts
With
Cécile Boyer-Runge, General Director, Editions Points,
Yannick Dehée, Director, Nouveau Monde éditions
Jeanne Guyon, Editorial Director, Editions Rivages,
Audrey Petit, General Director, Le Livre de Poche,
Moderated by Vincent Raymond, journalist
English / French Simultaneous translation

15:45 - 16:30  Tony Garnier room
Meeting with the jury of the Polar en séries - Scelf Award 2024
The jury is made up of professionals who are involved at various stages in the adaptation process: let's share with them their expectations, the trends they have observed and their experiences in the field of adaptation.
With
Michel Abouchahla, Ecran Total
Matthieu Belghiti, What's Up Films
Camille Couasse, Scriptwriter
Eric Geay, SND, groupe M6
Carole Le Berre, France Télévision
Xavier Leherpeur, France Inter, Marseille Séries Stories
Frédéric Mermoud, Director
Véra Peltékian, HBO
Moderated by Isabelle Fauvel, Audiovisual Consultant, Initiative Film

16:30 - 17:15  Ampère room
Focus Narrative co-construction - how to write a thriller with 4 hands?
Narrative co-construction is central to the writing of TV series. But can authors, publishers and editors use it to write novels and collections? Les Artisans de la Fiction takes a look at this working methodology with the participants who worked together on "The Steve McQueen", a 4-handed thriller set between Lyon and Manchester.
With
Tim Willocks and Caryl Férey, authors
Natalie Beunat, publisher, Points
Benjamin Legrand, translator
Moderated by Lionel Tran, director of the storytelling training center, Artisans de la fiction
English / French Simultaneous translation   

16:30 - 17:15  Tony Garnier room
Case study - Adaptation of the novel "Citoyens Clandestins" into a séries
With
DOA, author
Laetitia Masson, director
Moderated by Perrine Quennesson, journalist

Saturday April 6th

Morning

9:45 - 10:15 Polar Connection Lounge – Jacquard Room
Breakfast
Spotlight on the "book influencers"

10:15 - 10:45
Quais du polar, 20th edition! A look at developments and trends in French-language thrillers
With

Page des libraires
English / French Simultaneous translation   

10:45 - 12:45
Presentation by 8 French-language publishers of their latest publications

With
Héliotrope, France Cyrenne
Le Rouergue, Nathalie Demoulin
Michel Lafon, Maïté Ferracci
La Manufacture de livres, Pierre Fourniaud, Marie Anne Lacoma
Rivages, Jeanne Guyon
Harper Collins, Caroline Lamoulie
Fayard, Margaux Russo
Récamier, Céline Thoulouze
English / French Simultaneous translation

Afternoon

12:45 Aperitif Cocktail

14:30 - 15:15
Case study - Adaptation of the novel "Le Signal" into a series
With
Maxime Chattam, author,
François Uzan, series creator and showrunner
Aurélie Iniesta, producer, Gaumont
Moderated by Perrine Quennesson, journalist

15:30 - 16:15
Pitch for crime / thriller projects in development - Film and audiovisual
5 projects presented by their authors
With
The scriptwriters’ association Le 7e Scénar

18:00  Polar Connection aperitif
With
the support of Lisez !

The EXTRAS!

Two proposals from our partners,
Prior registration required - Limited number of places – Visit in French

Thursday April 4th

18h – 19h30 Interpol HQ, Lyon 6e
Meeting with Interpol experts
Interpol experts present the intergovernemental organization, different forms of crime they work on, including biometric data and artificial intelligence, as well as the tools they make available to member countries

Saturday April 6th

11h – 12h30 Musée de l’Imprimerie et de la communication graphique, Lyon 2e
Guided visit "the evolutions of books"
To track the book’s evolution from clay tablets to the digital book.

Registration

Registrations are now open!

Take advantage of this unique opportunity to join the professional thriller community at Polar Connection 2024.

The Polar Connection accreditation includes :

  • Access to round tables, meetings and "Extras" trails from Friday to Sunday;
  • Access to the Polar Connection trade fair area;
  • A directory of participants sent in advance of the event;
  • Friday buffet lunch reserved for accredited participants;
  • Festival opening cocktail and Polar Connection breakfasts and cocktails;
  • The 'Polar en séries' prize booklet;
  • Exclusive access to all the festival's events throughout the weekend.

Accreditation price up to 20 February: €70 excluding VAT -> 20% VAT = €84 including VAT.

From 21 February: €90 excluding VAT -> 20% VAT = €108 including VAT.

(VAT not applicable for Europeans with an intra-Community VAT number)

Don't miss this opportunity to get involved in the world of thrillers with Polar Connection 2024.
Join us and contribute to the development of this genre!

To contact us: polarconnection@quaisdupolar.com

The Polar en Séries Prize

Discover the selection of the Polar en Séries Prize !

Out of 55 works submitted in response to the call for entries sent out by SCELF to publishers, the Polar en séries - Scelf pre-selection committee has chosen the 6 finalists. We invite you to discover them below:

  • Le Quatorzième stratagème, by Louis BERGER, Nouveau Monde éditions, 2023
  • La Théorie des Ondes, by Pascale CHOUFFOT, Éditions du Rouergue, 2024
  • SkilledFast (Tomes 1,2 et 3), by HACHIN, Nouvelle Hydre, 2023
  • Crépuscule à Casablanca, by Melvina MESTRE, Points (Inédits), 2023
  • La Situation, by Karim MISKÉ, Les Avrils, 2023
  • L'affaire Sylla, by Solange SIYANDJE, Gallimard, 2024

Polar en séries is based on a call for entries from publishers specializing in thrillers. The 6 works selected are evaluated by a jury of experts, made up of professionals from the world of thrillers and the audiovisual industry, who deliberate on the winner.

The Jury for the 10th Polar en séries - Scelf prize:

  • Michel ABOUCHAHLA, président d’Écran Total
  • Mathieu BELGHITI, producteur, What’s Up Films (Sambre, Jeux d’Influence, The StaircaseTrial 4)
  • Camille COUASSE, scénariste (Bracelets Rouges, Lupin, Carême, co-créatrice deVortex)
  • Éric GEAY, producteur artistique, SND – groupe M6 (The SecretPolyL’Abbé Pierre)
  • Carole LE BERRE, conseillère de programmes, Unité Fiction, France Télévision
  • Xavier LEHERPEUR, journaliste, critique de cinéma et de séries (France Inter), co-programmateur du festival Marseille Series Stories
  • Frédéric MERMOUD, réalisateur, scénariste (La voie royale, Criminal : France, Moka, Engrenages, Complices)
  • Véra PELTEKIAN, vice-présidente en charge des productions originales françaises, HBO Max, chez Warner Media International

Four-Handed Detective Novel

2024 4 handed novel !

One of the highlights of this year's event will be the presentation of the 4-Handed Thriller. A collaborative writing project between two authors, one French and the other from a crime fiction town, their 4-handed thrillers have already formed a collection with the support of Points. "The Steve McQueen", by Tim Willocks and Caryl Férey, will be presented at Quais du Polar. Together with translator Benjamin Legrand and editor Natalie Beunat, they will be revealing their creative process.
This project is supported by the Institut français / Ville et Métropole de Lyon agreement.

Find out more about the 2024 4-Handed Detective Thriller, 'The Steve McQueen', as well as the archives of previous years' projects on the page Festival beyond borders.

Tools for Professionals

FRENCH-SPEAKING AUTHORS AND POLARS TO DISCOVER

We are happy to announce that Volume 1 of the booklet "French-Speaking Authors and Polars to Discover" is finally available, in English and in French.

This booklet has been conceived as a tool to be put in the hands of book professionals who wish to be in line with the current state of the French-speaking polar genre, in all its

diversity. The booklet offers a selection of the latest publications by authors that Quais du polar has identified and considers to be important contributors to the polar genre. Its purpose is to facilitate access to information regarding the assignment of rights abroad, for translation, and to allow French-speaking authors to be translated and therefore known internationally, in a context of worldwide interest for the genre. Feel free to share it!

French version available here / English version available here 

This booklet reflects this approach. It has been elaborated with the support of the French Institute Convention – City and Metropolis of Lyon and distributed in partnership with the international cultural network of the French Institute and the BIEF - Bureau International de l ‘Édition Française.

A YEAR OF POLARS AS SEEN BY BOOKSELLERS

For many years now, during the Quais du Polar festival, of which Page des Libraires is a partner, Page booksellers have been hosting meetings, drawing up panoramas, and offering to share their passion and experience, as well as their favourites. The major trends, established authors or new voices, the titles they recommend and those they sell. All year round they read on proofs, give their opinion on new releases, write articles and conduct interviews. Once again this year, together with Page des Libraires and the Institut français, we have decided to give booksellers a voice with the special edition Un an de polar vu par les libraires 2021-2022, a year of articles, as many leads and tools. A panorama to be compiled, completed, commented on.

Page, the review of books read & advised by booksellers, sheds light on literary news throughout the year. This real medium for sharing books is an opportunity for many people to share their desire to read. To discover it, click here. If you prefer to subscribe, it's this way.

Polar Connection Archives

Photos gallery