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LuxFilmFest’s Home Edition enters into its final week

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- The programme of films divided into weekly themes will continue until 18 June on VOD.lu

LuxFilmFest’s Home Edition enters into its final week
The Swallows of Kabul by Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec

Following on from the titles placed under the “On the Margins” header, allowing web surfers to re-familiarise themselves with the now cult film Gutland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Govinda Van Maele
film profile
]
by Govinda van Maele and the surprising Mrs. Hyde [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Serge Bozon
film profile
]
by Serge Bozon, it’s the turn of the "Hollywood Arthouse" line-up to offer a look back at the American productions presented over the past decade at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. Until 11 June, the VOD.lu platform is notably offering users the chance to rediscover the closing work of the festival’s 7th edition: Maggie's Plan by Rebecca Miller, starring Greta Gerwig, Ethan Hawke and Julianne Moore.

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As of 12 June, meanwhile, the "Coming Home" selection will allow viewers to rediscover some of the Luxemburg (co)productions which have left their mark on the festival. These include: D’Symmetrie von Päiperlek, a whimsical and poetic drama by Paul Scheuer and Maisy Hausemer (2012); the documentary Succès Fox by Désirée Nosbusch and Marc Limpach (2014), which looks back on the exceptional career of the man of the theatre and popular Luxemburg TV actor Fernand Fox, and; Puppy Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, a Belgian-Swiss-French-Luxembourger co-production made in 2013 by Delphine Lehericey. And that’s without forgetting The Swallows of Kabul [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Zabou Breitman, Eléa Gobbe-…
film profile
]
by Zabou Breitman and Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec, an animated film released in 2019 and steered by Melusine Productions, to whom we notably owe the recent works The Prince’s Voyage [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
and Zero Impunity [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
. It’s a tantalising line-up and a perfect end to this Grand Duchy-based endeavour.

Since May, nigh-on 60 movies - including short films - have found their way onto the VOD.lu platform, helping to showcase the action taken by the Luxembourg City Film Festival following the abandonment of its 10th edition due to Coronavirus. Artistic director of the event Alexis Juncosa sings the praises of this initiative: "We were lucky enough to be able to carry on with one part of the festival, at which point it wasn’t a question of finding a new medium but of standing by our viewers during this phase of confinement, without any real aims in terms of audience or box office results. We had no financial interest in the operation either. That said, the feedback from the public and the press has been incredibly positive. I have some wonderful memories of Q&A sessions on Instagram, Facebook and Zoom, at a time when Zoom was still an app to be discovered rather than the part of our daily lives that it is today."

Asked about the Festival’s 11th edition, set to unspool between 4 - 14 March 2021, and about the resumption of activities post-Covid-19, Alexis Juncosa claims he will be preparing himself for a number of eventualities, preferring the option of a physical edition albeit bound by certain constraints (no social gatherings or parties). "For this reason, at this point in time, we’re not envisaging any greater reliance on VOD. The Festival’s main aim remains the presentation of films in cinemas: a collective experience marked by unity of place and time, where audiences cross paths and where meetings give rise to countless projects. It’s who we are, it’s in our DNA, it’s our ambition. That said, lessons must be learned from this digital interlude and LuxFilmFest is evolving within a changing ecosystem. We’re just a small cog in a larger machine and if digital were to become an essential addition then we’d be prepared to offer this option, following consultations with our partners and notably distributors. But if there’s one thing I’ll remember about this strange time, it’s the frustration that’s been felt by so many people. You can offer the best films and watch them on your gigantic home cinema screen, but the soulful element of festivals that we all miss so much will always be lacking."

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(Translated from French)

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