(L-R) Geoff Thompson, Festival Director; Jean McDonald, Irish Ambassador; Joanne Olivier, British Ambassador; Maurice Bauer, Deputy Mayor of Luxembourg City; Tadahiro Matsubara, Japanese Ambassador;
Credit: Ali Sahib
On Sunday 14 September 2025, the 16th British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg 2025 Autumn Edition opened to a full house at Ciné Utopia in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg.
The opening film on Sunday evening was the thought-provoking contemporary drama Brides - the debut film of British director (and Artistic Director of the London-based Young Vic theatre) Nadia Fall. The story of an unconventional friendship, this gripping 2025 film follows the troubled lives and journey of two Muslim schoolgirls as they run away from their homes in the United Kingdom in search of what they believe will be a better life in Syria. Starring Ebada Hassan and Safiyya Ingar, Brides premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival; it is set for general release in the UK on Friday 26 September.
Ahead of the screening, there were speeches by Festival Director Geoff Thompson, City of Luxembourg (VdL) Chief Alderman / Deputy Mayor Maurice Bauer and the British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Joanne Olivier.
Geoff Thompson noted the "great turnout" already for the avant-première of the last Downton Abbey film, which was held on Tuesday 9 September 2025 (ahead of the BIFFL official opening). He noted that this edition of the film festival offers audiences eight days of thirteen feature films across various genres, "with something for everyone", and "some fantastic storytelling" - "the key that links all of the programmed features and shorts, addressing important themes from friendship to war, grief and loneliness, to justice, human rights and social issues". He later thanked the festival's sponsors and partners, as well as its volunteers, audiences and special guests.
Maurice Bauer highlighted the diversity of events hosted in Luxembourg City, noting that "culture knows no borders". He praised the BIFFL organisers for their innovation and assured that the VdL would continue to support the festival in future.
Ambassador Joanne Olivier said it was an honour and privilege to be joint patron of BIFFL, together with the Irish Embassy in Luxembourg. She noted that diplomacy is about "building bridges" and understanding each other - just as a good film can change perceptions and show other views. She said that British and Irish films have strong worldwide appeal for their gritty stories with lots of humanity - much like this opening film, which she described as a heartwarming story about the important themes of identity, belonging and friendship, in a unique setting.
The screening was followed by a reception hosted by the British Embassy in Luxembourg.
The core festival dates of BIFFL 2025 Autumn Edition are 14 to 21 September, with a number of other screenings before and after these dates. The full programme is available here.
