Movies Inspired by Books to Watch on International Literacy Day

Over the years, we’ve seen plenty of films adapted from bestselling novels. From Mario Puzo’s “The Godfather” and J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” books to John Green’s “The Fault in Our Stars” and Stephanie Meyer’s “Twilight” saga, some of the most iconic and most beloved films started off as words on the page, written by incredible authors.

This International Literacy Day, we’re celebrating books brought to life on the big screen in the past few years that made us laugh, cry, and ultimately fostered our love for both the written word and film art.

From romantic comedies to historical dramas, here’s a list of amazing movies that were inspired by fantastic reads!

Crazy Rich Asians

Doubleday, 2013 | Warner Bros. Pictures, 2018

This romantic comedy made waves in Hollywood for having the first all-Asian cast in twenty-five years — truly a revolutionary moment for Asian representation. The film was adapted from Kevin Kwan's 2013 global bestseller and was the author’s way of introducing a contemporary Asia to a North American audience.

The story follows Rachel Chu, a native New Yorker and economics professor, as she goes with her boyfriend, Nick Young, to his best friend's wedding in Singapore. She arrives in Singapore, excited about visiting Asia for the first time but nervous about meeting Nick's family — who, as it turns out, is one of Asia's most wealthy, prominent families.

There are many things to love about this story, such as how funny and relatable it was as it showcased many traditions and quirks within an Asian community. The film also featured many wonderful spots in Singapore that inspired our wanderlust!

But its charm comes from the lessons woven throughout its storytelling, such as how having a truly rich life has nothing to do with how many zeroes are in your bank account or the material things you own. It's more about having the freedom to pursue your own dreams, having a life filled with unconditional love, and being able to be brave enough to fight for the life you want.

Farewell My Concubine

HarperCollins Publishers,1985/1993 (revised) | Miramax Films, 1993

Chen Kaige’s “Farewell My Concubine” is an epic contemporary masterpiece, adapted for the screen by Lu Wei based on the 1985 novel by Lilian Lee, a Hong Kong novelist and reporter. It stars LGBTQ+ icon Leslie Cheung, Fengyi Zhang, and Gong Li.

The historical drama is set in 20th century China, from the early days of the Republic of China up to the aftermath of the Cultural Revolution. It chronicles the story of a young man named Cheng Dieyi (played by Cheung) who performs female roles at an opera, and how his work blurs the line of fantasy and reality when he starts falling for his male co-star and longtime friend Duan Xiaolou (played by Zhang). “Farewell my Concubine” is their trademark performance. It's a story of unrequited love, sexual politics, and political upheavals as the Chinese Cultural revolution unfolds.

The film won the Palme d'Or at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival and was the first Chinese-language film to receive the honor. The film also received a bunch of other accolades and recognitions, including a spot on Time magazine’s “100 Best Films in Global History” in 2005. It’s also considered one of the feature films that brought Chinese film directors to the world stage.

She’s Dating the Gangster

Summit Books, 2013 | Star Cinema, 2014

When Athena Dizon plays a trick on the resident bad boy, Kenji de los Reyes, she finds herself forced into a fake dating scenario with the campus heartthrob to make his ex-girlfriend jealous. Yes, we know. It’s a little tropey but that’s why we love it so much!

There’s just something about enemies-to-lovers that plucks all the right strings in our little heart harpsichords, but this Filipino adaptation takes it up a notch by also giving a second chance slash forbidden love trope. We won’t get into the details but just get your tissues ready because if there’s one thing Filipino movies are known for, it’s that they dig deep into emotions.

“She’s Dating the Gangster” was adapted from a book popularized on Wattpad by Bianca B. Bernardino (SGwannaB), and originally published on CandyMag.com’s Teen Talk. The book was then published under Summit Media’s imprint Pop Fiction and was adapted in 2014 by Star Cinema.

The film was a box-office hit and starred the biggest celebrity love tandem at that time, Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla (a.k.a. “Kathniel”). Due to its massive success in the country, the film was also screened internationally in North America, Canada, Australia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Howl’s Moving Castle

Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins Publishers), 1986 | Studio Ghibli, 2004

Hayao Miyazaki’s 2004 masterpiece was adapted from the novel of the same name written by English author, Diana Wynne Jones. The animated fantasy film follows the story of young Sophie Hatter who encounters a handsome wizard named Howl on her way to visiting her sister Lettie. After this, Sophie meets the Witch of the Waste who turns her into a 90-year-old woman out of jealousy as the witch was a spurned lover of Howl.

Seeking to break her curse, Sophie winds up in Howl’s castle as his cleaning lady, where she meets his young apprentice Markle, as well as Calcifer, a fire demon who is the source of the castle’s magic. Things only get interesting from there as the tale weaves a series of strange events, as well as heartfelt encounters as Sophie becomes less of an elderly cleaning lady and more of a heroine with the power to save (and change) Howl.

This is a classic Ghibli film many people love to watch over and over again (us included!). Although it has some major differences with the book such as how there was no actual war and the romance that transpired between Howl and Sophie is not as profound in the novel (if you squint then you’ll see it towards the end and after a few rereads), we love both versions all the same.

We believe it embodied what an adaptation is supposed to be: breathing life into a beloved tale and its characters to bring forth something new and unique.

Fun fact: This book is actually part of a series and are followed by two more titles namely, “Castle in the Air” and “House of Many Ways.”

The Notebook

Warner Books, 1996 | New Line Cinema, 2004

Nicholas Sparks is a household name when it comes to love stories, with most of his novels being adapted to the screen and starring some of the biggest names in Hollywood such as Miley Cyrus (“The Last Song”), Mandy Moore (“A Walk to Remember”), Channing Tatum (“Dear John”), and Zac Efron (“The Lucky One”).

But for this list, we’re choosing the book that started it all. “The Notebook” is the author’s debut novel, which was adapted in 2004, and starred award-winning actors Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams. The story is read from an old notebook by an elderly man in the present day, telling the tale of two young lovers to a fellow nursing home resident.

Ryan and Rachel’s acting in this film, as Noah and Allie respectively, was superb and was more than enough to pull out the waterworks when it came to those emotional scenes. It’s a story about family, romance, second chances, and ultimately about (as cheesy as it may sound), love that endures.

Nicholas Sparks has proven time and time again what he does really well in storytelling: plucking our heartstrings to stir up all sorts of emotions and then crushing our spirits right as we turn the last few pages or just as the credits roll. It’s no wonder that Hollywood has been quick to turn his novels into blockbuster hits!

It Ends with Us

Attia Books, 2016 | Sony Pictures Releasing, 2024

Ready your tissues, this is another heavy one.

Colleen Hoover’s magnus opum finally released its highly anticipated film adaptation in 2024, which starred “Gossip Girl’s” Blake Lively alongside Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, and director Justin Baldoni.

“It Ends with Us” follows Lily Bloom who grew up in an abusive home and struggles to find her way through the world without recreating the patterns of abuse from her youth in her present romance with neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid. The story traces her history growing up through childhood diaries, where we are also introduced to her first love, Atlas Corrigan, whom she reconnects with while having fallen into an abusive relationship.

Hoover said this book was “hardest book she has ever written” as it was loosely based on the life of her mother, and it explores themes of domestic violence and emotional abuse. The book has been a massive success even before Blake Lively came to be associated with it, having sold over a million copies worldwide and translated into twenty languages. In 2021, the book became popular on TikTok which caused a resurgence in popularity and brought it back to the top of bestsellers list.

Fun Fact: Colleen Hoover released a sequel entitled, “It Starts With Us” in 2022, which picks up from the last book and centers on Lily and Atlas’ relationship. The book became Simon & Schuster’s most pre-ordered book of all time!