Berlin: Day 2

Our second day in Berlin began with a visit to Potsdam where we were guests on RBB Radio, along with Nicola, the director of the Jewish Film Festival here in Berlin.

The festival runs here in Berlin from 4-14 May before going on tour.

 

 

 

 

In the evening I gave a reading at the Kathe Kollwitz Museum, alongside German actor August Zirner who read from the German translation of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS.

It was particularly good to hear the German characters of my novel read in a German accent. It also seems appropriate that the final stop on our movie tour is in Berlin, where the opening chapters of the novel are set.

The End of the Road

Today sees the release in the UK and Ireland of the DVD of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS.

It feels like a whole chapter of my life comes to an end with this but what a fantastic journey it was. I can remember meeting producers David Heyman and Rosie Alison in London and director Mark Herman in Leeds back in 2005, shortly before the novel was published, and being excited by their interest in making a film of my book but not entirely convinced it would ever happen.

And then the summer of 2007 in Budapest, watching the characters come to life as portrayed by David Thewlis, Vera Farmiga, Rupert Friend and the two boys, Asa and Jack. The highlights of the movie experience include the fantastic World Premiere in Dublin, the days we spent at the San Sebastian Film Festival in Spain where we received such an enthusiastic response from the audience, and then our city-hopping aroung the States in the run-up to film’s release.

But with the DVD release, it’s really come to an end. (Well, almost… there’s one final event to come in May, but more of that soon.) And unlike most novelists who come out the other end of such an experience, it has been a total blast from start to finish and I hope that many of the friends I made along the way will stay in my life. And who knows, maybe another movie some day… Oh, and the DVD contains some deleted scenes, an audio commentary by Mark and I, and a documentary on the process of making the film, featuring all of us who were involved along the way.

Here’s a few photos from along the whole journey:

On set in Budapest with Asa (Bruno)

On set with Vera and Amber

Wrap party, with Asa and Jack

World Premiere in Dublin

San Sebastian Photocall

San Sebastian Premiere

In Dallas with Mark

At the Hollywood sign with David

Seoige

Yesterday afternoon, I appeared on RTE’s afternoon television show, Seoige, to talk about 3 of my favourite novels: John Irving’s THE WORLD ACCORDING TO GARP, Jonathan Coe’s WHAT A CARVE UP!, and David Peace’s THE DAMNED UTD.

You can watch the show here – my segment is the first on and lasts about 10 minutes.

No.1 in the UK

The film tie-in edition of THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PYJAMAS was no.1 in the Sunday Times Children’s Bestsellers List this week. It was also the overall no.2 bestselling paperback in the UK.

It’s the first time any of my novels has reached the no.1 position in the UK chart so very pleased to finally make it to the top position!