Luxembourg has its Oscar
Luxembourg wins its first Oscar for "Mr Hublot": Xavier Bettel congratulates the directors!
It is with great pride that Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister and Minister for Communications and Media, joins in the triumph of "Mr Hublot", which won the Oscar for best animated short film on Sunday.
"This supreme award honours its directors, Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares, as well as Zeilt Productions. This prize also celebrates the talent of our animation artists and technicians. It is also international recognition of the high level of creativity and quality of the entire Luxembourg audiovisual sector. Congratulations also go to Stéphan Roelants and his teams at Melusine Productions and Studio 352 for the exceptional career and Oscar nomination of the animated feature film "Ernest & Célestine".
The short film "Mr Hublot" was entirely produced and made in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg by producer Laurent Witz (Zeilt Productions) in co-direction with Luxembourg-born Alexandre Espigares, a former BTS animation student at the Lycée Technique des Arts et Métiers in Luxembourg City.
The film was financed to the tune of 73% by the Luxembourg company Zeilt Productions and 27% by the French company Watt Frame. These two companies are largely owned by producer Laurent Witz.
The Luxembourg film was supported by the Film Fund Luxembourg from the script-writing stage through to graphic development, production, distribution and promotion.
This 2D and 3D animated short took three years to make. The filmmakers used the world of Belgian sculptor Stéphane Halleux to create this taciturn robotic accountant who takes in a robot dog lost in a futuristic city.
Prior to its Los Angeles premiere, the film won a host of prestigious awards, notably at international festivals (International 3D Society, Irvine International Film Festival, Kerry Film Festival, 3D Stero Media, Les Nuits Magiques, Animage, etc.).
We should also mention the magnificent career of the animated feature Ernest & Célestine, which was pre-selected for the Golden Globes and won numerous awards (Los Angeles Film Critics Association, Magritte, César, International Children's Film Festival of India, Seatlle International Film Festival, ITFS, Stuttgart AniMovie, etc.).
Unveiled at the "Quinzaine des Réalisateurs" at the Cannes Film Festival in 2012, "Ernest & Célestine" is a Luxembourg co-production (Melusine Productions and Studio 352) supported by the Film Fund Luxembourg, in particular to cover the part of the work done in Contern, mainly the sets and colouring.
www.mrhublot.com
https://www.facebook.com/#!/MrHublot
http://ernestetcelestine-lefilm.com/
https://www.facebook.com/#!/ErnestEtCelestine
