28/01/2015 - The merger is the first within the Luxembourgian film sector, and is expected to lead to new perspectives in terms of production and distribution

Producers Jani Thiltges, Claude Waringo and Bernard Michaux have announced that they are merging their production outfits Samsa Film and Lucil Film, thus creating a single production and distribution company named Samsa Film.

The merger – the first within the Luxembourgian film sector – is the result of a logical progression of the expansion of the two companies, and it is expected to lead to new perspectives in terms of production and distribution in both the Luxembourgian and the European markets.

Set up in 1986 by Thiltges and Waringo, Samsa Film is one of Luxembourg’s most prolific outfits. Over the years, it has been involved in several international co-productions with In Good Company (Germany), Bac Films (France), Liaison Cinématographique (France), Artémis Productions (Belgium) and Fado Filmes (Portugal), among others. Lucil Film was created by Michaux in 2006, and has been producing shorts and feature films ever since.

“The strengthening and rejuvenation of Samsa Film’s management will allow our company to thrive in the long term,” says Waringo, whose long-time partner Thiltges has hailed the arrival of the third team member, who will help to increase “the visibility and marketing of our films on every available distribution platform”.

As for Michaux, he admits to having taken “a crucial step” by working with the renowned company: “I feel honoured to have the opportunity to be part of the management of a company as dynamic as this one.”

The combined catalogue of the two outfits includes the biggest national box-office hits of the last few years – Blind Spot [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christophe Wagner
film profile] by Christophe Wagner and Schatzritter [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Laura Schroeder – in addition to about 60 international co-productions by directors such as Eric Rochant, the Dardenne brothers, Sam Garbarski, Joachim Lafosse, Frédéric Fonteyne, Safy Nebbou, Jeanne Labrune and Benoît Jacquot, among others.