Luxembourg in the spotlight at the 28th CINEMANIA 2022 Festival in Montreal

As part of the 28^e edition of the CINEMANIA French Film Festival (from 2 to 6 November 2022) that the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg will be honoured in Montreal, Quebec. This exceptional tribute to Luxembourg will feature 20 films, 3 photographic exhibitions, public installations, virtual reality works, performances and events.

In the field of audiovisual production, the Festival programme will include a previously unseen selection of 20 cinematographic works showcasing French-language co-productions - some of which were made with Quebec.

Luxembourgish virtual reality works will also be available to the public free of charge from 2 to 6 November at the PHI Centre in Montreal.

Also at the PHI Centre, the Société de développement des entreprises culturelles du Québec (SODEC) and the Film Fund Luxembourg will be holding a day of professional meetings featuring case studies, networking opportunities and round tables with partners including the Canada Media Fund, Telefilm Canada, the Bureau du cinéma et de la télévision du Québec (BCTQ) and the association of digital experience producers Xn Québec.

To accompany this exhaustive dive into Luxembourg cinema, the Cinémathèque québécoise will be hosting a conference-debate entitled "Le Cinéma luxembourgeois - un duel critique", led by two seasoned critics.

Finally, the work of the Luxembourg photographer Fabrizio Maltese will be the subject of three photographic exhibitions at the PHI Centre, the Cinémathèque québécoise and the Sofitel Montréal Le Carré Doré hotel.

Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister and Minister for Communications and Media, will use his trip to Montreal to combine his political discussions with his presence with the Luxembourg delegation, made up of representatives from the Film Fund Luxembourg and the audiovisual production sector, the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (Brand Promotion), Kultur |lx and Luxembourg for Tourism.

Kultur | lxAlongside the programme offered by CINEMANIA, this ambitious programme of events, residencies and encounters will be inviting industry professionals and spectators to discover other aspects of Luxembourg's creative output in music, performance, dance and writing throughout November.

" Kultur | lx is delighted to have this opportunity to showcase the diversity of Luxembourgish creativity at major platforms and festivals on the Montreal scene. We hope that this programme will be the start of lasting cooperation with our Quebec partners and contribute to the international dissemination of Luxembourg artists. "says Valérie Quilez, international coordinator of Kultur |lx.

Luxembourg for Tourism present "Destination Luxembourg" to the media and tourism professionals, to help them discover all that this small country at the heart of Europe, with its resolutely European spirit, has to offer, with a major competition to win a week's stay in Luxembourg.

" Travel and cinema are intimately linked by the stories, experiences and emotions they convey. Just like the cinema, a trip to Luxembourg will leave no one indifferent. "explains Dr. Sebastian Reddeker, CEO of Luxembourg for Tourism.

But to get the full experience Luxembourg countries in the spotlight of this 28th editionCINEMANIA will be presenting a unique immersive outdoor exhibition on the Place des Festivals, in the heart of Montreal's Quartier des Spectacles. Every evening, as soon as night falls, the façades of the Wilder building will light up and come to life in the colours of Luxembourg, thanks to a projection. mapping created by Montreal-based company Lucion. The architecture will be adorned with a luminous work giving the public a glimpse of Luxembourg's programming as part of the Cinemania festival. An installation featuring "LuXembourg" lettering will also occupy part of the pedestrian section of rue Saint-Catherine, complemented by screens offering passers-by an informative and entertaining presentation of Luxembourg's assets and special features, from its cultural scene to its diversity.

Beryl Koltz, Strategic Manager for the Promoting Luxembourg's brand imagestates: " This large-scale, cross-sector promotional initiative is a pilot project that fully embodies the desire to roll out Brand Image Promotion internationally. Indeed, by coordinating the various players and carrying out targeted promotional activities abroad, the initiative now aims, after a necessary first stage aimed at raising awareness and uniting its stakeholders in Luxembourg, to make the values and faces of Luxembourg known throughout the world. ".

And Guy Daleiden, director of Film Fund Luxembourg concludes: " The honouring of Luxembourg's audiovisual sector at the Montreal French Film Festival proves once again that the quality of our cinema is appreciated both at home and beyond our borders in the French-speaking world and beyond. I'm delighted with the enthusiasm and collaborative spirit with which all our partners, institutions and artists have approached this great shared adventure".  

List of 20 new cinematographic works selected by the CINEMANIA Festival and list of VR works exhibited at the Centre PHI

6 films in tribute to Samsa Film, the oldest audiovisual production company in Luxembourg:

• Une liaison pornographique by Frédéric Fontaine
• California Dreaming by Fabrizio Maltese (LU)
• Edward Steichen by Claude Waringo (LU)
• Mechanomagie by Bady Minck (LU)
• Marie Kreutzer's corsage
• More than ever by Emily Atef (in the "Faces of La Francophonie" competition)

3 short films in competition

• L'Ogre by Aurélien Pira (LU) - Zeilt Productions
• Caroline sur le toit by Alejandro Bordier (LU) - Calach Films
• The Red Suitcase by Cyrus Neshvad (LU) - Cynefilms.

2 feature-length documentaries in competition

• Fabrizio Maltese's invitation (LU) - Red Lion
• Living Witnesses by Karolina Markiewicz & Pascal Piron (LU) - Paul Thiltges Distributions

9 special screenings

• Blind Willows, Sleeping Woman by Pierre Földes - Doghouse Films
• Jumbo by Zoé Wittock - Les Films Fauves
• Ailleurs si j'y suis by François Pirot (Canadian premiere) - Tarantula Luxembourg
• Mr. Hublot by Laurent Witz and Alexandre Espigares (LU) (Oscar 2014) - Zeilt Productions
• The Wolf People by Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart - Melusine Productions
• Le petit Nicolas - Qu'est-ce qu'on attend pour être heureux? by Benjamin Massoubre and Amandine Fredon - Bidibul Productions
• I Fiori Persi by Fabrizio Maltese (LU) - Joli Rideau Media/Melusine Productions
• Icare by Carlo Vogele (LU) (Canadian premiere) - Iris Productions
• Le petit avale lumière by Nicola Coppack (LU) - La Fabrique d'Images

VR works7 Lives (a_BAHN), Missing Pictures - The Monkey Wrench Gang (episode 3) (Wild Fang Films), Metamorphosis (Karolina Markiewicz & Pascal Piron) and Ayahuasca (a_BAHN)