British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg 2024 Spring Edition launched

On Monday 26 February 2024, Festival Events Asbl announced the launch of the 15th British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg 2024 Spring Edition: all screenings will be at the Ciné Utopia; while the core festival dates are from 18 – 23 March, there will also be three other screenings, on 26 and 27 February, and 13 March.

 

The film festival provides a unique opportunity for cinemagoers to experience a wide selection of new films from Britain and Ireland. The 2024 Spring Edition includes 13 feature-length films from a cross-section of genres and representing mainly independent cinema. In addition, the festival will be screening five short films and concluding the Young Filmmaker Competition. 

 

The British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg (BIFFL) 2024 Spring Edition will have “Verdigris” as its official Opening Screening, a drama set mainly in Dublin about two polar-opposite women meeting in the context of a census being carried out, and will close with “That They May Face the Rising Sun”, based on internationally acclaimed Irish author John McGahern's award winning final novel of the same name. All films will be receiving their Luxembourg premiers during the festival, apart from two feature films “The Runway” (2010) which is being screened to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the inaugural direct Luxair flight between Luxembourg and Dublin, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” (1975) in a special “scream-along” screening, as well as “Mr Hublot” (2013), the Luxembourg co-production Oscar-winning animated short film.

 

 

The Awards of the festival’s Young Filmmaker Competition will be held, with excepts from all 11 entries (from 7 different secondary schools) being screened, before the top three (2-5 mins) are shown in full. The entries were:

• Luxembourg VS Transport, by Carlotta Thomas (Lenster Lycée)

• Heartbeat, by Marianna Berkun & Igor Sydorchuk (Lycée Michel Lucius)

• Red Disease, by Marianna Berkun & Igor Sydorchuk (Lycée Michel Lucius)

• Summer Sky, by Marie-Alexandra Maracic Weber and Paula Zic (Lycée Athénée de Luxembourg)

• Oh yes…Amy Smith?, by Arianna Russo, Mia Serra Vassallo & Cliona Hickey (European School II)

• Travelling Through the Troubles, by Laura Fagan (St George's International School)

• Letter to Him, by Cathy Diagne (International School at Differdange, EIDE)

• A World in which Men are Inferior, by Julia Dec (European School II)

• The Vinyl, by Alexandro Castro & Nina Verrinder (ISL)

• Close, by Noah Piff (International School at Differdange, EIDE)

• Homo Sapiens, by Hanna Rajka (European School II)

 

The evening will also include the screening of 3 short films, with Laurent Witz & Anna Konieczna in a Q&A.

• Wild Reconnection, (15 mins) by Deqa Ibrahim, Anna Konieczna

• Shakes vs Shaw, (10 mins) by Damian Farrell, Gerry Hoban

• Mr Hublot, (11 mins) by Laurent Witz, Alexandre Espigares

 

In addition to those mentioned above for their short films, the feature film Special Guests coming over for the 2024 Spring Edition include:

• Geraldine McAlinden (actor) & Maya O’Shea (actor), Verdigris, screening on Monday 18 March

• Sean Doupe (director), Ballymanus, screening on Friday 22 March

• Chris Walley (actor), Lies We Tell, screening on Tuesday 19 March

• Bernard Michaux (producer), The Runway, screening on Wednesday 13 March

 

 

The Festival is teaming up with Ciné Utopia for no less than three special screenings: The Great Escaper on Mon 26 February; Wicked Little Letters on Tue 27 February; and Monty Python and the Holy Grail (“scream-along” event) on Wed 13 March.

 

 

This edition also features both an Audience Award as well as an Audience Prize, with two entries winning a Magnum of Crémant from Bernard-Massard / a Hamper from Home from Home, and also a Critics’ Award, with the involvement of members of the Association Luxembourgeoise de la Presse Cinématographique (ALPC).

 

The Top 3 winners of the Young Filmmaker Competition will be presented with awards at the Shorts Evening, and the audience will have the chance to win Luxair flight vouchers at the Special Screening to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their direct route to Dublin.

 

 

Tickets cost €10 per person per film (plus admin fee), with ticketing again with Luxembourg-Ticket.lu, apart from the three BIFFL Presents… screenings in collaboration with Ciné Utopia (tickets for these screenings are on sale at Kinepolis.lu) at commercial rates. 

 

The popular Season Special Ticket are available for €35 by calling Luxembourg-Ticket.lu. Tickets may also be available at the venues prior to screenings, depending on availability.

 

 

The British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg has acknowledged its support again this year from a number of organisations including the Galway Film Fleadh, the Irish Film Institute, Screen Ireland, Culture Ireland, the Ville de Luxembourg, the Luxembourg Film Fund and Luxembourg’s Ministry of Culture, as well as the financial contribution of the Embassy of Ireland in Luxembourg though its Emigrant Support Programme and the British Embassy in Luxembourg through its support of the Young Filmmaker Competition.

 

The festival also enjoys support from its sponsors, especially Silver Sponsor Enovos / LEO, and also partners including Bernard Massard, Home from Home, DHL, ChefPassport and the New Delhi restaurant, its various community partners and media partners. 

 

- 20:00 - Screening of The Great Escaper (EN, SE) BIFFL Presents…, 96 mins 

- 20:00 - Screening of Wicked Little Letters (LU), 102 mins 

- 20:00 - Screening of The Runway* (2010, IE/LU), 101 mins 

- 20:00 – Official Opening: Screening of Verdigris* (IE), 95 mins 

- 19:00 - Screening of Northern Comfort (EN, IS, DE), 97 mins 

- 21:15 - Screening of Lies We Tell* (IE), 89 mins 

- 19:00 - Screening of Chuck Chuck Baby (WA), 101 mins 

- 19:30 - Screening of Monty Python and the Holy Grail (EN), 91 mins 

- 21:30 - Screening of Lie of the Land (NI), 80 mins 

- 19:00 – Shorts Evening*, including Young Filmmaker Competition Awards

- 21:30 - Screening of Loch Ness: They Created a Monster (SC), 91 mins 

- 19:00 - Screening of Ballymanus* (IE), 53 mins 

- 21:00 - Screening of Double Blind (IE), 90 mins 

Saturday 23 March 

- 20:00 – Official Closing with Awards: Screening of That They May Face the Rising Sun (IE, NI), 107 mins

 

* Q&A scheduled

 

Geoff THOMPSON, Festival Organiser and President of Festival Events Asbl, stated: “We are absolutely delighted to see such a positive reaction to last year’s trial of splitting the festival into two editions which resulted in a 30% increase on pre-pandemic audience numbers. Again we have great guests attending, something our audiences love. We are also delighted with the response to our Young Filmmaker Competition, with so many high-calibre entries received. And the Special Screening with Luxair to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the inauguration of their direct route to Dublin is something to which we are really looking forward”.

 

For more detailed information on the programme, see www.festivalevents.lu