Dua Lipa, Tobias Menzies and David Jonsson are among the celebrities who will be reading excerpts from books on this year’s International Booker Prize shortlist in new short films.
The six short films have been created with Merman, the production company of “Bad Sisters” star Sharon Horgan and producer Clelia Mountford. The shorts will see pop star Lipa reading la Genberg’s “The Details,” “The Crown’s” Menzies reading “Mater 2-10” by Hwang Sok-yong, “Rye Lane” alead Jonsson reading “Not a River” by Selva Almada, “One Day” actor Eleanor Tomlinson reading Jenny Erpenbeck’s “Kairos,” “The Witcher’s” Anya Chalotra reading Jente Posthuma’s “What I’d Rather Not Think About” and “Still Up’s” Antonio Thomas reading “Crooked Plow” by Itamar Vieira Junior.
The International Booker Prize is the world’s leading award for fiction works translated into English. Lipa has previously worked with the organization, having delivered a keynote speech at its prize ceremony in 2022 and working with the Booker Prize’s prison initiative, Books Unlocked, last year.
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“As someone who grew up speaking two languages, I know how inspiring it can be to have access to stories about other worlds,” Lipa said in a statement. “I’m fascinated by lives lived in other countries, whether it’s the imagined lives of the characters or the real lives of the authors. So translation is an art close to my heart – it makes that adventure possible for so many more of us. Translated fiction is a hand extended from one culture to another. It allows us to understand each other better, and to see the world in a new light.”
The short films are directed by Charlotte Hamblin, who has previously worked on “Downton Abbey,” “Call the Midwife” and “Operation Mincemeat.” In addition to dropping on the Booker Prize’s website at 9 a.m. U.K. time on Thursday, the short films will be shown at this year’s prize ceremony, which takes place in London on May 21.
Watch the trailer for the short films below.