Barrage;
Credit: Red Lion Luxembourg
The National Commission of Selection for the Oscars has announced that it has unanimously chosen the film Barrage by Laura Schroeder, co-produced in Luxembourg by Red Lion, to represent the Grand Duchy at the 90th edition of the Academy Awards in the category "Foreign Language Film Award".
This film, written by Laura Schroeder and the French novelist Marie Nimier, is a drama about three generations of women, carried by actress Lolita Chammah. Shot largely near the Haute-Sûre lake in Luxembourg, Barrage also includes Isabelle Huppert as well as the young Themis Pauwels. The Luxembourg actors Charles Müller, Marja-Leena Juncker and Luc Schiltz complete the casting.
Production in Luxembourg was carried out by Pol Cruchten and Jeanne Geiben with Nadine Chaussonnière and Vincent Quénault as executive producers, including technicians Christina Schaffer (set designer), Uli Simon (costumes), Katja Reinert-Alexis (make-up), Claude Kongs and Raoul Nadalet (special effects).
Barrage was financed by Film Fund Luxembourg.
Barrage celebrated its world premiere in February 2017 at the 67th Berlinale; it is the first feature film of a Luxembourg filmmaker hosted in official selection at the Berlin Film Festival. The Luxemburgish premiere took place in March 2017 at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. The film was also presented at the Vilnius Film Festival (Lithuania), the Titanic International Film Festival Budapest (Hungary), the Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema (Argentina), the Jeonju International Film Festival (South Korea) Jove - Valencia International Film Festival (Spain) and the New Horizons International Film Festival (Wroclaw, Poland).
Barrage was released in Luxembourg and French cinemas on 19 July 2017.
Barrage is now on the "long-list"; nominations for the "Best Foreign Film" (the short-list) will be announced on 23 January 2018.
The National Selection Commission for the Oscars is composed of 7 persons representing the audiovisual sector:
• Nicole Dahlen, Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg
• Guy Daleiden, Fonds national de soutien à la production audiovisuelle
• Adolf El Assal, Union luxembourgeoise de la production audiovisuelle (ULPA)
• Claude Lahr, Association des réalisateurs et des scénaristes (LARS)
• Sophie Langevin, Actors.lu
• Jim Probyn, Association luxembourgeoise des techniciens de l’audiovisuel (ALTA)
• Yves Steichen, Centre national de l’audiovisuel (CNA)
