Director of Film Fund Luxembourg, Guy Daleiden, today presented the Fund's report for 2014.
Mr. Daleiden reported that €39,679,352 was distributed between 59 projects. €1,140,190 was allocated to 22 of these projects for writing and development means, and €38,539,162 37 represented financial aid given to 37 projects for the field of film production.
Mr. Daleiden went on to outline the success that Luxembourg's film industry experience last year, citing international award nominations received by films made in Luxembourg such as 'Ma maman est en Amérique', 'Amour Fou' and 'Tango Libre'. The latter was nominated for eight awards at the 4th Magritte Awards in Belgium, including Best Film, Best Production and Best Actor.
2014 was also a significant year for Luxembourg's field of animation, with Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares' short film 'Mr Hublot' earning the country its first Oscar® Award. "This reflects the expertise of the Grand Duchy in this area and the important place that Luxembourg holds internationally," stated Daleiden. A new animation film, entitled 'Funan, le Peuple Nouveau', is due for release later this year, and an animated version of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's best-selling book 'Le Petit Prince' has been translated into Luxembourgish and will have its avant-premiere at Utopolis Kirchberg on 14 July 2015.
This international recognition arose somewhat from the Fund's mission to provide Luxembourg with a presence in various markets and international forums. To support the diffusion of the country's audiovisual capacities, Luxembourg embassies collaborated last year with the Fund to provide screenings of films made in Luxembourg.
The Fund has also supported various European initiatives such as EAVE, a training programme for producer, which has been present in Luxembourg since 2005 and Eurimages, the Pan European Fund established at the European Council.
The sixth edition of the Luxembourg cinema awards 'Filmpräis' unveiled a list of prizewinners reflecting the vote of the members of the 'Filmakademie' and Mr. Daleiden spoke of the anticipation for the seventh edition, which will take place on Saturday 5 March 2016 at the Grand Théâtre de la Ville de Luxembourg in conjunction with the Luxembourg City Film Festival which is supported by the Fund.
Mr. Daleiden also acknowledged that Luxembourg's developing film industry may mean the appearance of more film production companies and, subsequently, increased demand for funding. "We do not choose [who we fund] on the basis of the film production companies or actors involved, we make selections according to the criteria of creativity and the potential economic and social returns involved," he explained.
Mr. Daleiden announced upcoming 2015 projects from the Fund, including its 25th anniversary. The Film Fund will continue to collaborate with RTL on project initiatives such as the documentary series 'Routwäissgro', broadcast by RTL since March 2015. During the Luxembourg Presidency of the EU, the Fund will also support an EP2C workshop on post-production and a Digital Cartoon workshop, as well as host the annual EFARN meeting representing 45 film agencies and other organisations in the field of cinema.
Photo by Sarah Graham (Director of Film Fund Luxembourg, Guy Daleiden)
