Luxembourg’s cinema was already making a name for itself at the Cannes Film Festival in 1947

Luxembourg has already won a Golden Bear, the most important award at the Berlin film festival. But the top prize at Cannes, the prestigious Palme d’Or, has so far eluded the Grand Duchy’s production companies, even though Payal Kapadia’s All We Imagine as Light (Les Films Fauves) was awarded the Grand Prix, unofficially the runner-up prize at the most famous film festival in the world.

But Luxembourg is in the running again this year, with co-production Un simple accident (Bidibul Productions) among the 21 entries in the main competition.

The film’s Iranian director Jafar Panahi has notably been banned from film making in his home country since 2010 for his critical stance towards the totalitarian regime. Yet, he still manages to make films and bring them abroad.

Panahi has already won both a Golden Lion in Venice and the Golden Bear in Berlin, so there is a good chance that his film could take home the Palme d’Or at this year’s festival, which opened on Tuesday and closes on 24 May.

First Luxembourg presence right after the festival was founded

Luxembourg’s presence on the French Riviera is not quite as strong this year within the competitions as it was a few years ago. Nevertheless, Luxembourg’s VR works are even being given a special spotlight this year and actor Vicky Krieps stars in Love Me Tender which is being screened in the prestigious Un Certain Regard section and was co-produced by her own film company Viktoria Productions.

The Luxembourg film industry has a long history of being represented in Cannes. Les danseurs d’Echternach, a documentary by Luxembourgish filmmaker and journalist Evy Friedrich, was screened at the second Cannes festival back in 1947.

Evy Friedrich was the first Luxembourger to be represented with a film at the Cannes Film Festival © Photo credit: Wolfgang Osterheld / Collection CNL

But before the state-backed Film Fund was established, there is little record of any films from the Grand Duchy being shown in Cannes between 1947 and 1989.

However, an article from Die Warte, the cultural supplement of the Luxemburger Wort, from 1954 shows that the Luxembourg film (shot in Agfacolour film as opposed to CinemaScope) Promenade au Luxembourg by Philippe Schneider was shown in Cannes that year.

Since 1989, Luxembourg has been represented by 55 (co-)productions, including this year’s entries, at what is probably the world’s most important film festival.

Luxembourg films in Cannes in 2025

The Luxembourg film company Bidibul Productions is represented at the Croisette with two co-productions: Un simple accident is competing for the Palme d’Or and Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol will be presented as a special screening.

Love Me Tender, starring Vicky Krieps and co-produced by her own film company, will be screened in the “Un Certain Regard” competition.

In the Immersive Competition, La maison de poupée (international title The Dollhouse), co-produced by Wild Fang Films, is competing for the award for best immersive work.

Outside of this competition, the festival is focussing on Luxembourg and showing five other co-productions from the Grand Duchy: Ceci est mon coeur (a_BAHN) and Oto’s Planet (Skill Lab) as well as Champ de Bataille (Digital Voodooh), Floating with Spirits (Tarantula), and Ito Meikyu (Les Films Fauves).

13 awards for Luxembourg co-productions

With the increasing professionalisation of the Luxembourg film scene in the 1970s/80s, the presence of national entries in competitions and sidebars at international festivals such as Cannes also increased.

In 1992, for example, Pol Cruchten’s drama Hochzäitsnuecht (Wedding Night) was selected the Un Certain Regard competition, a side programme that shows films that are rather atypical for the main competition. Luxembourg co-production L’Ecole de la chair (Samsa Film) competed for the Palme d’Or in 1998.

However, since 2010, the Grand Duchy has picked up 13 awards at the festival.

Illégal (Iris Productions) by Olivier Masset-Depasse, for example, was honoured with the SACD Prize (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) in 2010. The film was shown in the Quinzaine de Réalisateurs sidebar, which has since been relabelled the Quinzaine des Cinéastes. And Oliver Laxe’s Viendra le feu (Tarantula) received the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard section in 2019.

Just as important as getting films into the official selection are the opportunities for the Luxembourg film industry to network and have more formal meetings in the context of the Cannes film market. The Film Fund rented its first stand there in 1999 and since 2003 has hosted its own pavilion in the International Village.

Luxembourg’s presence is enhanced by the Film Fund’s scholarships that allow new acting talent and directors to travel to the festival for a few days.

Vicky Krieps in the spotlight on the Croisette

Vicky Krieps’ face has been an integral part of Cannes for several years now. In 2021, the Luxembourg actor made it into the Cannes competition for Bergman Island alongside British actor Tim Roth. In the same year, Serre-moi fort, in which she starred with French actor and director Mathieu Amalric, also celebrated its premiere at the film festival.

Krieps was again represented in Cannes in 2022 with two films fork Samsa Film Plus que jamais and Marie Kreutzer’s historical drama Corsage, for which she received the Un Certain Regard award for best actress for her performance as Empress Sisi. Last year, Krieps was a member of the Un Certain Regard jury.

Luxembourg’s winning films in Cannes

Illégal, co-produced by Iris Productions, was awarded the SACD Prize (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques) in 2010.

Les Géants, a co-production by Samsa Film, received two prizes in 2011: the SACD Prize and the CICAE Prize (Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai).

In 2012, Belgian actress Emilie Dequenne was awarded the prize for best actress for her performance in the Luxembourg co-production A perdre la raison (Samsa Film) in the Un Certain Regard section.

Ernest et Célestine, a co-production by Melusine Productions, received the “Prix SACD mention spéciale” in 2012.

In 2013, Tip Top (Iris Productions) was honoured with the “Prix SACD mention spéciale”.

French actress Chiara Mastroianni won the Best Actress award in the 2019 Un Certain Regard section for her performance in the Luxembourg co-production Chambre 212 (Bidibul Productions).

In 2019, Viendra le feu (original title “O que arde”), co-produced by Tarantula, received the Jury Prize in the Un Certain Regard series.

For her performance in Corsage (Samsa Film), Vicky Krieps was honoured with the award for best actress in the Un Certain Regard section in 2022. The film also scooped the “Prix de la meilleure création sonore”.

French-Tunisian actor Adam Bessa was honoured as best actor in the 2022 Un Certain Regard sidebar for the lead role in Luxembourg co-production Harka (Tarantula).

In 2023, Serbian actor Jovan Ginic received the “Prix Fondation Louis Roederer de la Révélation” for his performance in Lost Country (Red Lion).

The Grand Prix went to All We Imagine as Light (Les Films Fauves) in 2024.

(This article was first published on Wort.lu. Translated using AI, edited by Duncan Roberts.)