Oscars 2026: Breathing Underwater will represent Luxembourg!
This year, the Filmakademie has once again convened a selection committee, charged with the delicate task of choosing the film that will carry Luxembourg's colours in the prestigious race for the 2026 Oscars, in the category " Best International Feature.
The committee's verdict was unanimous: the winner will be Breathing Underwater (Out of breath)the first feature film by Luxembourg director Eric Lamhène, produced by Samsa Film. A choice that salutes both the emergence of a new talent and the boldness of a work that intends to make Luxembourg cinema resonate on the world stage.
Synopsis
Emma wakes up in a hospital bed, bruised and, to her surprise, pregnant. Instead of returning to her husband, she chooses to stay in a home for women and children. There, she rediscovers fragments of her lost self and weaves a healing sisterhood.
Casting
- Carla Juri (Emma)
- Véronique Tshanda Beya (Khadij)
- Esperanza Martin González-Quevedo (Esperanza)
- Alessia Raschella (Sascha)
- Sascha Ley (Tania)
- Luc Schiltz (Marc)
Creative team
- Director: Eric Lamhène
- Screenplay: Rae Lyn Lee, Eric Lamhène
- Director of photography: Rae Lyn Lee
- Producer: Claude Waringo (Samsa Film)
- Co-producer: Patrick Quinet (Artémis Productions, Belgium)
- Editing: Jean-Luc Simon
- Sound design: Lise Bouchez
- Costumes: Magdalena Labuz
- Running time: 101 minutes
- Languages: French, Luxembourgish, Spanish, Italian
International awards
- Special Jury Prize - Lecce European Film Festival 2024
- Cineuropa Award - Lecce European Film Festival 2024
- World premiere - Warsaw International Festival 2024
Composition of the selection committee
- Fred Neuen, President of the Filmakademie Luxembourg
- Sarah Bamberg, Executive Officer, Film Fund Luxembourg
- Fabien Renelli, Producer, Mélusine Studio
- Alexandra Hoesdorff, Producer, Deal Productions
- Aude-Laurence Clermont, actress and director
- Anne Schiltz, author and director
- Linda Blaschette, chief operator and director
A committed and necessary film
The members of the committee were deeply moved by the raw power of this drama, driven by a rare empathy that sincerely highlights the resilience of women in the face of invisible wounds. Carla Juri embodies her character with an intensity of great finesse: her presence on screen is so authentic that she draws us into the very heart of an intimate terror.
The Filmakademie and the Film Fund Luxembourg send their best wishes for success to Breathing Underwater for its performance at the 2026 Oscars.
The ceremony will take place on Sunday 15 March 2026.
For more information on the Oscars rules: https://www.oscars.org/sites/oscars/files/2025-04/98th_aa_international_feature.pdf?VersionId=TNEF7ZSD04Bg1RLZEcUoCPDYlLc9fZpZ
