Luxembourg in America Documentary Premieres at British & Irish Film Festival

The documentary Luxembourg in America had its world premiere at the British & Irish Film Festival Luxembourg (BIFFL) at Ciné Utopia in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg on Friday 27 September 2025.

Directed by festival organiser Geoff Thompson, Luxembourg in America offers insight into the heritage of descendants of Luxembourgers who settled in Wisconsin in the United States in the 19th century. Looking at the past and the present, it highlights in particular the increasingly popular Luxembourg Fest, held each summer in Belgium, Wisconsin.

Speaking at the premiere on Friday evening, the US Ambassador to Luxembourg, Tom Barrett, spoke about his own Wisconsin roots and his experience at the Luxembourg Fest ahead of his move to the Grand Duchy. He highlighted the "very successful" dual citizenship programme for descendents of Luxembourgers, and also spoke about heritage.

Indeed, the two screenings of Luxembourg in America (the premiere and a second screening at Kinoler on Monday 30 September 2024) form part of the European Heritage Days programme in Luxembourg. The post-screening feedback on Friday was positive, with the director receiving a standing ovation at one point.

After the screening, Seth Ruef, Vice-President of Festival Events, held a Q&A session with several individuals who were involved in the making of Luxembourg in America. AMCHAM Chairman and CEO Paul Schonenberg, who is originally from New York, shared his positive experience of travelling to the Luxembourg Fest for the first time. He also praised the amount of work the director, Festival Events President Geoff Thompson, had put into his debut documentary. Paul said the film helped highlight the strength of the mutually beneficial relationship between the US and Luxembourg and celebrated this heritage.

Geoff Thompson, for his part, shared the inspiration behind the documentary, noting that he had been aware of the Luxembourg Fest and other events abroad through his journalistic experience but this was an opportunity to witness it first-hand and to share it with others. Thanks in part to a Heritage Days grant, he could travel over with his small but dedicated team and make this a reality. He noted that it was important to "tell a story" with this work; this involved a lot of research and making connections in Wisconsin. Other key aspects were heritage and community. He spoke of how helpful everyone had been over in Wisconsin, and thanked all those who had been involved in the documentary.

Whilst there is currently just one more public screening planned in Luxembourg, as part of the Heritage Days, Geoff mentioned there was interest also from those in the United States and the potential for additional public screenings in Luxembourg, depending on interest.

Tom Hickey, a Luxembourg-based Irish entrepreneur, also spoke about his experience putting together a menu at this year's Luxembourg Fest, based entirely on imported Luxembourg products.

Last but not least, Guy Thewes, Luxembourg historian and museum director, said he had been "very impressed" to discover so much Luxembourg heritage at the Luxembourg American Cultural Society (LACS) in Wisconsin. He had gone over this summer to give a presentation at the Luxembourg Fest.