Luxembourg City Film Festival 2025
The first edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival, initially known as the "Discovery Zone Filmfestival", took place in 2011. Since then, the festival has not only changed its name, it has also become an acclaimed national event and one of the biggest film festivals in Europe. The 2025 edition will be held from 6 to 16 March and celebrates the 15th anniversary of the festival. It promises to be one of the most festive and exciting since its creation. Here are the main films and events that might spike your interest!
High-quality programme
It is impossible to present the entire programme, but here are four major, captivating, innovative and varied festival highlights:
1. The films
More than 1,000 films were screened before the final selection for 2025 was made. Here are four films that should not be missed:
"Bound in Heaven" by Huo Xin tells the story of a businesswoman who becomes the victim of an abusive husband. She decides to run away with a man suffering from a terminal illness and goes on a journey of physical and emotional liberation.
In "Kontinental '25" by Radu Jude, a bailiff in Transylvania has to evict an old man from the basement of a building. But nothing goes as planned...
A septuagenarian lives in a luxury hotel on the Côte d'Azur. He becomes intrigued by his roommate, who reminds him of the wild days on the Riviera in the 1960s. Find out why she suddenly disappears in "Reflet dans un diamant mort" by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani.
"The Village next to paradise" presents the life of a father and his son in a small village in the heart of the Somali desert. He lives a precarious life, and his aspirations are further complicated by the arrival of his sister, who has just got divorced.
An let's not forget the documentary competition, featuring six international productions.
2. Short films
13 short films were submitted to the festival. To honour these productions, made in Luxembourg or with the support of the Grand Duchy, these short films will be screened during two sessions on 10 March at the Kinepolis.
Also in the spotlight, and for the first time since its creation, the LuxFilmFest will present an evening dedicated to series.
3. The "Entre Réflexions et Immersion" exhibition at the Cercle Cité
Artistic works from two distinct but complementary artistic worlds will be on display from 7 February to 6 April at the Cercle Cité An immersive experience where visitors are guided through an exploration of the self and the world, where technology and creativity come together as they push the boundaries of perception and emotion. These works "Ceci est mon coeur" and "Oto's Planet" had their world premiere at the 81st Venice Mostra 2024, in the Immersive Venice section.
You can find more information about the exhibition here!
4. Virtual reality pavilion in the neimënster and at the Ratskeller
This year, 12 works will be included in the immersive competition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival. Ten are on display at the neimënster and two at the Ratskeller exhibition. Visitors can experience immersive light projections, installations created with artificial intelligence technologies and interactive experiences in virtual and augmented reality. True to its vocation, this year's edition will showcase powerful contemporary themes, such as poignant tales of resistance from Taiwan, Luxembourg and Ukraine.
Do you want to push the boundaries of storytelling? The Immersive Pavilion 2025 is open from 6 to 23 March 2025!
It goes without saying, there will be many more cultural events in 2025!
A new record has been set for national productions. 29 (co)productions Made in/with Luxembourg will be presented on the silver screen during the festival!
Late Night Bizarre by the Utopia cinema: the very best the genre has to offer! As part of this category, the festival offers a selection of thrillers, horror and fantasy films.
Let's not forget, a film festival also serves to foster exchanges and partnerships (the Club) and a platform for learning and networking (the Fabric) with masterclasses, workshops and conferences. The LuxFilmFestFabric reveals the mechanics of the film industry, in the company of industry professionals. The LuxFilmFestClub is a meeting place for partners and filmmakers.
During the Industry Days, the members of the two federations, Europe Film Festivals and Europa International, will sit down with the national professional industry to tackle the challenges faced by the sector, build synergies and further cultivate the network.
If you have not done so already, book your pass or your tickets here!
About the Film Festival...
The leading film festival in Luxembourg has attracted nearly 40,000 participants since 2018.
It offers quality content, exclusive features, an overview of contemporary international creation, fictional films and documentaries, and special screenings. Above all, it serves as a platform for Luxembourg's cinema. It became a competitive festival from its second edition in 2012, recognising the best of international cinema in the fiction (€10,000), documentary (€5,000) and young audiences (€2,000) categories. In 2022, the 2023 Award was added. It rewards works in the field of Cooperation. In the same year, the American magazine Moviemakers included LuxFilmFest in its selection of the 25 coolest festivals in the world.
In 2023, the International Federation of Film Critics was represented for the first time at the festival by journalists covering the event and awarding the FIPRESCI prize in Luxembourg. The festival is also a co-founder of the Europa Film Festivals network, which at present comprises 12 European events. LuxFilmFest is currently the president of this federation.
In addition to film screenings, the festival offers an outstanding cultural programme: theme nights, parties, exhibitions, concerts, meetings with professionals, masterclasses (meetings with renowned directors and scriptwriters), creative workshops and much more.
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