Stormzy, Rory Kinnear and Arlo Parks are among the actors and artists who will make short films with readings from the shortlisted titles for this year’s Booker Prize, which is reckoned to be the world’s most significant award for a single work of fiction.
The shortlist short films are directed by Sasha Nathwani, whose debut feature Last Swim premiered at the Berlin Film Festival in 2024, winning the Crystal Bear accolade.
The short films are released in the spring and fall for the Booker Prize and International Booker Prize seasons. Last year’s selection notched over 83 million views. Gabrielle Creevy (Black Doves), Shazad Latif (Atomic) and Katherine Parkinson (Rivals) will also feature in the shorts this time.
Stormzy, the rapper who has moved into acting and producing, will read from ‘Flesh’ by David Szalay. Bank Of Dave star Kinnear’s reading will focus on ‘The Rest Of Our Lives’ by Ben Markovits, while an excerpt from ‘The Land In Winter’ will be read by singer-songwriter Arlo Parks.
Katherine Parkinson will read from Katie Kitamura’s ‘Audition’, Gabrielle Creevy from Susan Choi’s ‘Flashlight’ and Shazad Latif from ‘The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny’ by Kiran Desai.
“When I was invited to direct this year’s shortlist films, I wanted to create a space where the intimacy of the readings could breathe,” Nathwani said. “Each actor/creator was invited to settle into their chair, take their time, and draw out the emotion in each extract, letting us feel, for a few moments, as if we were being told a beautifully poignant story, just for us.”
The Booker Prize launched its first shortlist short films three years ago. Previous featured performers include Dua Lipa, Will Poulter, Jason Isaacs, Jarvis Cocker, Paterson Joseph and Adjoa Andoh.
“That first year, 2022, we were thrilled that the films were viewed a million times on our social channels,” said Gaby Wood, Chief Executive of the Booker Prize Foundation. “Two years on, they were viewed over 80 million times, a figure we’d barely dreamed of. In that time, every comment has reinforced the fact that the people who’ve watched these films have been inspired to read the books as a result.”
The Booker Prize partnered with Schedule Nine Productions to produce the two-minute films, which will be released on October 8. They will also be shown at the Booker Prize 2025 ceremony on November 10.
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