HRH Prince Félix and Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture, Maggy Nagel were on hand to visit the Luxembourg Pavilion at the 68th Cannes Film Festival this past weekend, which included a special screening of Luxembourg co-production “Le Tout Nouveau Testament”, directed by Jaco Van Dormael and produced by Juliette Films – and greeted with acclaim.

The royal prince promoted and encouraged professions of the audio-visual production sector, whilst meeting with the press in the Luxembourg Pavilion. He was also able to discover intricacies of the world of cinema, having a tour of the film market, led by director Jérôme Paillard, before joining a soirée of Luxembourg producers and their collaborators.

Minister Nagel showed her support for the industry, expressing her satisfaction at being able to meet the professionals in the sector, follow their progress and listen to their needs.

In a meeting with industry professionals and the Minister, Paul Thiltges, President of ULPA, expressed his delight with the importance being given to film, and the events held to monitor the sector and identify new prospects. Yann Tonnar, Representative of LARS, echoed his support for the Ministry, in their implementation of a direct aid to screenwriting, and lauded the close cooperation between the Luxembourg Film Fund and the sector.

From an international perspective, Nico Simon, President of  Europe Cinemas, the international cinemas network for the distribution of European films, held his yearly conference before a panel of representatives of various European bodies.

As Vice-President of the Association of Directors of European Cinema Support Funds (EFADs), Guy Daleiden, outlined the priorities for the audio-visual field, for the upcoming Luxembourg Presidency of the EU. The EFADs also adopted a similar position - which will relayed to the press soon – on the European Commission’s strategy for the digital internal market.

Romain Roll, Coordinator of the European Federation of Fantasy Film Festivals, was also on hand to showcase “Frontières” and “Fantastic Film Mixer” at the Film Market, in cooperation with the Co-Production Forum.

Photo by Film Fund Luxembourg