5 Luxembourg Co-Productions to Feature in 2025 Berlinale

Five co-productions will represent Luxembourg at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, known as the Berlinale, which is taking place from Thursday 13 to Sunday 23 February 2025.

As communicated by Film Fund Luxembourg, La Cache, Reflet dans un diamant mort and Timestamp are selected in the official competition, which awards the prestigious Golden Bear and the Silver Bears awards. Confidente and Der Kuss des Grashüpfers are featured in the Panorama and Forum sections respectively.

La Cache (The Safe House), directed by Swiss filmmaker Lionel Baier, is a co-production between Luxembourg (Red Lion), Switzerland and France. It features actor Michel Blanc, who died in October 2024, in his final on-screen role. La Cache tells the story of ten-year-old Christophe who experiences the events of May 1968 hidden at his grandparents' house, surrounded by his uncles and his great-grandmother, all bivouacking around a mysterious hiding place. The film is an adaptation of La Cache, a true-life novel by Christophe Boltanski.

Reflet dans un diamant mort (Reflection in a Dead Diamond) is co-directed by French couple Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani and is a co-production between Luxembourg (Les Films Fauves), Belgium, Italy and France. It tells the story of John D, a septuagenarian living in a luxury hotel on the Côte d’Azur. He is intrigued by his roommate who reminds him of the wildest hours of the Riviera during the 1960s. At that time, he was a spy in a world that was booming and full of promises. One day this neighbour mysteriously disappears… and throws John back in front of his demons.

Timestamp, a documentary film by Ukrainian director Kateryna Gornostai, is a co-production between Luxembourg (a_BAHN), Ukraine, the Netherlands and France.
In Ukraine, keeping schools open is an act of resistance, an attempt to regain some semblance of the normality that existed before the war. Without resorting to interviews, narration, or reenactments, Timestamp delves into the raw reality of the war, revealing its impact on the daily lives of students and teachers. The film explores the functioning of schools, in person and online, in extreme conditions, on the front lines and behind the scenes, where ordinary life coexists with ever-present danger.

Confidente (Confidante), co-directed by the Franco-Turkish couple Çağla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti, is a co-production between Luxembourg (Bidibul Productions), France and Turkey. In Ankara in 1999, Arzu makes a series of paid calls to the erotic call centre where she works. When a sudden earthquake hits Istanbul, a young man she was on the line with is trapped under the rubble and begs her to save him. Confidente is nominated in the non-competitive Panorama Section of the festival which highlights international arthouse films in world or European premieres. 

Der Kuss des Grashüpfers (The Kiss of the Grasshopper) directed by Elmar Imanov is a co-production between Luxembourg (WADY FILMS), Germany and Italy. In a world of magical realism, Bernard, a young tormented man, seeks to get closer to his father Carlos, who refuses a  necessary operation. The imminent approach of his father's death pushes Bernard to reevaluate his environment and himself. It is nominated in the non-competitive Forum section which focuses on essay, political and experimental films, often directed by young talents.

Luxembourg’s Minister of Culture, Eric Thill, will participate in the Berlinale from Sunday 16 to Tuesday 18 February 2025. He will also attend the traditional reception organised jointly by Film Fund Luxembourg and the Embassy of Luxembourg in Berlin, which brings actors and partners from the audiovisual production sector as well as representatives from the world of culture together.

Other Luxembourg artists featuring in the Berlinale include Sophie Mousel, who will appear in two films in the official selection.

Hélène Walland, producer of Poulpe Bleu Production, will represent Luxembourg at the 23rd edition of Berlinale Talents, a programme that will bring around 200 professionals from modern cinema together for networking opportunities, workshops, conferences and public discussions with renowned figures from the cinema world. 

Luxembourg actor, director and producer Désirée Nosbusch will be the master of ceremonies for this 75th edition of the Berlinale.

Luxembourg actor Vicky Krieps will also make an appearance in the official competition, in the film Hot Milk by Rebecca Lenkiewicz.