Audiovisual production
Although it is far from able to boast a long and rich tradition of national cinema, in recent years, the Grand Duchy has found its place in the international audiovisual industry. Proof of this is that a good number of (co-)productions have been awarded prizes at international film festivals.
The Luxembourg Government takes a proactive stance for the development of the nation's audiovisual services and communication. As an expression of this proactive policy, the Grand Duchy has adopted a number of public support schemes in the early 1990s aimed at promoting the development of audiovisual production.
The film production sector
Despite the absence of a long tradition of national film production, the Grand Duchy has developed a rich film production industry that has received recognition from the international audiovisual industry, as evidenced by the numerous prizes and awards obtained at international festivals in recent years.
Professionalisation of the job has expanded the possibilities of co-production with other countries. As a result, the number of productions has increased considerably in the Grand Duchy, not only because of a favourable legal framework, but also because of the excellent technical infrastructures and the expanding skills of the local film production industry.
The animated films sector
The animated films sector has experienced a similar success the film production sector. The fact that the Luxembourgish co-productions 'Ernest et Célestine' (Studio 352) and 'Mr Hublot' (Zeilt Productions), were nominated for awards at the 86th season of Oscars in 2014 illustrates the distance the animation sector has covered in the Grand Duchy.
There are half a dozen animation studios active in the Grand Duchy. They either develop their own productions or co-productions or hire out their services to foreign productions. Support mechanisms for audiovisual production have worked perfectly as incentives in this sector, thereby helping to establish a genuine industrial platform at a very high level.
Filmland Kehlen
The Grand Duchy now has its own 'little Hollywood', at Filmland Kehlen in the western part of the country. This is a one-stop shop for audiovisual production, a real hub for national and international feature film production.
The infrastructure is impressive: more than 4,000m2 of studios for filming, two construction workshops each with an area of 400m2 each, 500m2 of production offices, sound and image editing studios, a final mixing auditorium, a calibration room, units for special effects, and equipment for green-screen filming. A number of Luxembourgish film production companies have pooled their activities there.
Support for the audiovisual sector
The Luxembourg Film Fund and the National Audiovisual Centre provide help and support to professionals working in the audiovisual sector.
National Support Fund for Audiovisual Production (Film Fund Luxembourg)
The Luxembourg Film Fund, which was created in 1990, supports the production, co-production and distribution of Luxembourgish works. The government's aim by creating the Film Fund was to promote the development of a genuine film industry.
The Film Fund supports Luxembourg's cinema through indirect grants called AFS (selective financial aid) for screenwriting and for developing and producing short and full-length films and documentaries. This aid constitutes an advance on income.
National Audiovisual Centre ('Centre national de l'audiovisuel', 'CNA')
The aim of the CNA is to collect, restore, preserve and disseminate Luxembourg's national audiovisual heritage. As part of its production activities, the Centre supports the creation of documentaries and other audiovisual productions. It produces exhibitions and publications, and organises public events in the audiovisual field.
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