Xavier Bettel supports film professionals at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in the presence of LL.AA.RR. the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Luxembourg

The Prime Minister and Minister for Communications and the Media, Xavier Bettel, visited Cannes from 18 to 21 May to meet professionals from the audiovisual production sector and take part in the traditional Luxembourg Day, which this year was marked by the presence of LL.AA.RR. the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess, showing their support for the representatives of the 7^e Luxembourg art.

The Prime Minister and the Grand Ducal couple began their visit at the Marché du Film*, where they met the heads of the German, Belgian, Irish, Quebec and Ukrainian pavilions. They were then welcomed to the Luxembourg pavilion by some sixty professionals attending the market and representatives of the press.

For their commitment to the development of Luxembourg's audiovisual industry, Myriam Achard, Head of New Media Partnerships and Public Relations for the Phi Centre and Guilhem Caillard, Director of the Cinemania Festival of Montreal, were decorated with the insignia of Knight of the Order of Merit by HRH the Grand Duke.

In the early evening, in the presence of the Prime Minister and the Grand-Ducal couple, the Film Fund and its director Guy Daleiden welcomed all the national film representatives, their counterparts, co-production partners, sales agents and international distributors to the Luxembourg reception.

Representatives of EAVEthe continuing education, networking and project development programme for audiovisual producers, held a discussion with the Prime Minister on the economic, cultural and political impact of the various workshops organised by EAVE since 1988.

The Film Fund took part in the French-language co-production meeting, bringing together partners from 5 countries (Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Switzerland and Canada).

The Film Fund in partnership with the Irish Fund Screen IrelandLuxembourg has also launched a new call for projects as part of its co-development agreement for female and non-binary filmmakers, aimed at reducing the disparities between men, women and non-binary people in the film industry. The agreement is also designed to encourage co-production opportunities between Ireland and Luxembourg.

In collaboration with the associations LARS (directors and scriptwriters) and ACTORS.lu (actors and actresses) that Filmfong has awarded grants to young actresses Marie Jung and Hana Sofia Lopes and directors Roxanne Peguet, Stephen Korytko and Félix Koch to enable them to take part in the film market and meet the professionals present.

Awarded best VR experience at the Venice Mostra in 2021, The Paris Ball has been invited to the Cannes Festival. From 17 to 26 May, accredited professionals can discover the immersive virtual reality show devised by Blanca Li's company in co-production with the Fabrique d'Images. A total of 600 sessions - 10 people per session - are planned over the Cannes period.

Pm: 5 films have been selected for this year's Cannes Festival:

• 3 films (co)produced by Les Films Fauves:
  Official selection in competition (Palme d'or): "Youth (Spring)"by Wang Bing
  Official selection "Un certain regard": "The Delinquents"by Rodrigo Moreno
  Official selection "Quinzaine des Cinéastes": "Conann"by Bertrand Mandico

• 1 film co-produced by the Red Lion production company:
  Official selection "Semaine de la Critique": "Lost Country"by Vladimir Perišić

• 1 film co-produced by Cynefilms:
  Official selection "Un certain regard": "Terrestrial Verses" by Ali Asgari & Alireza Khatami.

*The Marché du Film is a market where creators, producers, international sales agents, distributors and financiers come together to forge the partnerships that will create the films of tomorrow. It is the film industry's most important event, bringing together 12,500 professionals, 4,000 films and projects, over 100 conferences and 121 countries.