Thierry Zeien, President of the Film Fund, Minister Eric Thill, Guy Daleiden, Director of the Film Fund, The Grand Duke, The Grand Duchess; Source: MinCult

The Luxembourg Film Fund – the National Fund for the Support of Audiovisual Production – together with the Ministry of Culture announced that as part of the 81st edition of the Venice International Film Festival, the Minister of Culture Eric Thill, together with the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, took part in this important international film event and met with professionals from the Luxembourg audiovisual sector.

The Minister began his visit on 30 August by meeting with delegations from Luxembourg and Wallonia-Brussels, which this year have been particularly highlighted as “Centre of Attraction”: Luxembourg and Wallonia-Brussels, as well as Japan, are this year at the centre of the Venice Prodigy Bridge, the festival’s film market.

The delegations were welcomed by Alberto Barbera, Artistic Director of the Venice Film Festival, and Pascal Diota, CEO of Venice Production Bridge. In his speech to audiovisual professionals, the Minister reiterated his support for the 7th Art: “The six Luxembourg co-productions in the official selection reflect the quality and diversity of our national audiovisual sector, a driving force for creativity and cultural expression. I am proud of Luxembourg’s commitment to supporting and promoting the audiovisual industry, both nationally and internationally..”

The Minister then discussed key topics with sector professionals, such as the future of the film industry in the digital era and the role of festivals in promoting cultural diversity. These discussions highlighted the importance of the Ministry’s support for Luxembourg film productions and the commitment of the entire Film Fund Luxembourg team, which supports sector professionals on a daily basis.

The following day, 31 August, the Minister and the Luxembourg delegation took part in a round table dedicated to stakeholders in the Luxembourg-Walloon immersive ecosystems, before visiting the “Film Market” with its director Pascal Diot. The Film Market is an important platform for exchange between producers, distributors and buyers from all over the world. The visit was an opportunity to strengthen the links between Luxembourg and the global audiovisual sector and explore new opportunities for cooperation with international partners.

The Minister then accompanied the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess as they viewed the Luxembourg XR competition-selected works on an immersive island. They were joined by curators Michel Reilhac, Liz Rosenthal and Myriam Achard, as well as directors from Luxembourg.

Minister Thill was particularly pleased with Luxembourg’s success in the digital field: “Harnessing the potential of digital technology is one of our government’s priorities, and the selection of no less than five Luxembourg co-productions for Venice Immersive is proof of the success of this policy and the quality of our national audiovisual industry..”

The Minister also reiterated the invitation to an audiovisual conference to be held on 20 September at the CNA in Dudelange, the aim of which will be to develop a strategy and vision for the development of the sector in the coming years.

Six Luxembourg co-productions were included in the official competitive selection of the 81st Venice International Film Festival, which will this year be part of the Cannes Film Festival.

Feature film in official competition:

– Documentary film Youth (Homecoming) by Chinese director Wang Bing, co-produced by Les Films Fauves (Gilles Chanial) with France, Hong Kong and the Netherlands.

Virtual Reality at Work in Official XR Immersive Competition:

– This is my heart by Nicolas Blies and Stéphane Hueber-Blies: production mainly in Luxembourg by a_BAHN (François Le Gall and Marion Guth), also in France.
– Oto’s Planet by Gwenael François: production realized mainly in Luxembourg by Skill Lab (Julien Becker) with participation of Quebec and France.
– Mamie Lou, directed by Isabelle Andréani: co-production of Skill Lab (Julien Becker) with France.
– Ito Meikyu by Boris Labbé: co-production of Les Films Fauves (Gilles Chanial and Govinda Van Maele) with France.
– François Vautier’s Champ de bataille: a co-production of Digital Voodooh (Fred Neuen and Mark Mertens) with France and Belgium.