The Quais du Polar professional program
At the heart of the Quais du Polar festival, Polar Connection marks a special milestone on the agenda of crime fiction professionals. A common interest in the genre has brought together all these French and international actors for numerous editions. An event which is above all a platform conducive to exchange, reflection and collaboration.
For three intense days, Polar Connection invests the Palais de la Bourse, central location for accredited participants. The first floor becomes the rallying point where panel discussions led by professionals of the genre take place, as well as formal and informal meetings in the Polar Connection Lounge and meeting spaces.
Polar Connection was designed as a complete toolbox intended for book, audiovisual, digital, cultural action professionals, and well beyond. During these three days, participants will have the opportunity to explore the infinite potential of the thriller genre and the current topics of the creative industries linked to it, through discussions, workshops, and inspiring meetings. The program also promotes BtoB meetings and opportunities to make contacts.
Strong points:
– Panel discussions : Expert speakers discuss together the major issues of their professions, thus offering an in-depth vision of the world of crime fiction.
– Formal and informal meetings : The Palais de la Bourse with its Polar Connection Lounge in first floor becomes the ideal place for BtoB exchanges, promoting interconnection between professionals in the field.
– Toolbox : Polar Connection aims to provide participants with a toolbox helping them to exploit the full potential of crime fiction in their different fields of activity.
– Source of Inspiration : Quais du Polar serves as a reference and source of inspiration through its abundance and diversity of its programming. The independent booksellers running the festival’s Grande Librairie play a role of recommendation and encourage location finding.
The professional program is accessible by accreditation.
A look back at the Polar Connection 2024 program
The Polar en séries prize – Scelf
Discover the selection of the 11th edition of the Polar en séries prize – Scelf !
The Polar en séries prize – Scelf 2025 promotes the literary production of French-speaking crime fiction by highlighting works for their potential for adaptation into an audiovisual series.
Created in collaboration with the SCELF – Civil Society of French Language Publishers – this prize is part of Polar Connection’s professional meetings, thus creating an essential bridge between the world of books and audiovisual.
The Polar en séries prize – Scelf rewards a French-speaking noir novel, thriller, or crime fiction for its intrinsic qualities and its adaptation potential. The selected works illustrate literary creation in the polar genre and offer rich perspectives for a series adaptation.
Polar en séries is based on a call for applications launched from publishers specialized in crime fiction. The 6 selected works are evaluated by a jury of experts, made up of professionals from the world of crime fiction and audiovisual, who agree in deliberation on the winner.
This year, we received no fewer than 69 works resulting from the call for applications launched by the SCELF for publishers. The preselection committee of Polar en Séries – Scelf is currently reading to decide on the 6 finalists that will be submitted to the jury.
The selection of the 6 books will be announced in mid-January. As the Polar en Séries prize is an integral part of the Polar Connection program, it will be awarded on Friday 4 April 2025, following a presentation of the finalists’ works by the publishers themselves at the Chapelle de la Trinité.
The jury for the 11th edition of the Polar en séries prize
- Michel ABOUCHAHLA, president of Écran Total
- Matthieu DONCK, producer (La Trêve (saison 1 et 2), Des gens bien…)
- Aurélie INIESTA, producer, Gaumont télévision (Le Signal…)
- Lamara LEPRÊTRE-HABIB, screenwriter (D’argent et de sang, Les Monstres, Dans l’ombre…)
- Fanny FROMENTAL, Literary Adaptations Executive, Studiocanal Stories (Melvil & Océane)
- Carole LE BERRE, program advisor, Unité Fiction, France Télévision
- Xavier LEHERPEUR, journalist, film and series critic (France Inter)
- Véra PELTEKIAN, vice-president in charge of original French productions, HBO Max, at Warner Media International
Last year, the winner was Skilled Fast, written by Hachin, which was a graphic chase through a tormented future where technology has become an integral part of human beings.
Find the Polar en Séries 2024 booklet here
The 4-handed polar
Among the highlights of this edition, we include the presentation of the 4-handed polar. A collaborative writing project between two authors, one French and the other from a crime town, their 4-handed thrillers already form a collection with the complicity of Points editions. Le Steve McQueen, by Tim Willocks and Caryl Férey between Manchester and Lyon has been presented at Quais du Polar 2024.
This year, the 4-Handed Polar is the result of a collaboration between France and Italy, with French novelist Michèle Pedinielli and Italian author Valerio Varesi alternating their pens in a story set between Lyon and Milan.
This project benefits from the support provided by the French Institute / City and Metropolis of Lyon agreement.
Find the details of the Polar 4 hands 2024, Le Steve McQueen, as well as the archives of projects from previous years on the page The international festival.
The archives
- Polar Connection Program 2016
- Polar Connection Program 2017
- Polar en séries 2018 booklet
- Polar Connection Program 2018
- Polar en séries 2019 booklet
- Polar Connection Program 2019
- Polar en séries 2020 booklet
- Polar Connection Program 2020
- Polar en séries 2021 booklet
- Polar Connection Program 2021
- Polar en séries 2022 booklet
- Polar Connection Program 2022
- Polar en séries 2023 booklet
- Polar Connection Program 2023
- Polar en séries 2024 booklet
- Polar Connection Program 2024