On Monday 7 February 2022, the organisers of the annual Luxembourg City Film Festival (LuxFilmFest) unveiled the programme for this year's event, which will take place entirely in person, in cinemas from 3 to 13 March 2022; the previous edition was held in a hybrid format due to COVID-19 restrictions.
For this 12th edition of LuxFilmFest, the organisers are introducing a new prize, a new label and a new partnership with ACID Sélection Cannes. Palestinian film director and actor Elia Suleiman will be the President of the International Jury. American-born British film director Terry Gilliam will also be making an appearance after having to cancel his visit last year.
LuxFilmFest 2022 will open with a screening of the 2021 Spanish-Argentine comedy film Official Competition (directed by Marino Cohn and Gaston Duprat) on Thursday 3 March 2022 at Kinepolis Kirchberg. Noticed at San Sebastian and Venice, this film sees Penelope Cruz play a director with an oversized ego who is recruited to make a film that will mark history. The film is symbolic in more ways than one: it draws a parallel with the LuxFilmFest "Official Competition" category which is predominantly female this year and its burlesque, over-the-top style is exactly what the organisers wished to promote in order to make people forget the shortcomings of this time.
The awards ceremony on Saturday 12 March 2022 will feature After Yang, a poetic science fiction film directed by South Korean-born American filmmaker Kogonada and starring Colin Farrell and Jodie Turner-Smith.
The closing film on Sunday 13 March 2022 will travel directly from its world premiere at the Berlinale to Luxembourg: Quentin Dupieux's latest comedy Incredible But True.
In total, there are around 155 screenings of 116 films on this year's LuxFilmFest agenda.
The eight films in the official competition category are: Atlantide by Yuri Ancarani; Gerda by Natalya Kudryashova; Hit The Road by Panah Panahi; Jack's Ride by Susana Nobre; Prayers for the Stolen by Tatiana Huezo; Reflection by Valentyn Vasyanovych; Silent Land by Aga Woszczyńska; The Cow Who Sang A Song Into The Future by Francisca Alegria.
Some of the nineteen films in the official selection, not in competition, include:
- Ali & Ava, a drama film by Clio Bernard (UK, in English);
- Down With The King, a drama film by Diego Ongaro (USA-France, in English);
- Mona Lisa and the Blood Moon, a fantasy film by Ana Lily Amirpour (USA, in English);
- Nobody Has To Know, a drama film by Bouli Lanners (France-Belgium-UK, in English);
- She Will, a thriller film by Charlotte Colbert (UK, in English).
The Made on / with Luxembourg programme includes (among others):
- A Fleeting Encounter, a drama film by Romed Wyder (Switzerland-Luxembourg, in French, English and Farsi);
- And He Said Yes!, a drama film by Gintaré Parulyté (Luxembourg, in English, Greek, French and Icelandic);
- Bellevue, a black comedy film by Jonathan Becker (Luxembourg, French with English subtitles);
- Capitani (Season 2), a thriller TV series by Christophe Wagner (Luxembourg-Belgium, in Luxembourgish with English subtitles);
- Icarus, an animated drama film by Carlo Vogele (Luxembourg-France-Belgium, in French with English subtitles);
- Lemon And Poppy Seed Cake, a drama film by Benito Zambrano (Spain-Luxembourg, in Spanish with English subtitles);
- Nice Not To Meet You, a short fiction film by Sirvan Marogy (Luxembourg, in English with French subtitles);
- Nucléaire, a short drama film by Roxanne Peguet (Luxembourg, in Luxembourgish / French with English subtitles).
Festival passes cost €35 each.
Further details, including the full festival programme and ticketing information, is available online at: https://www.luxfilmfest.lu/en.
