Vicky Krieps' Hot Milk Opens 15th Lux City Film Festival

On Thursday 6 March 2025, the 15th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival kicked off in screening room #10 of Kinepolis-Kirchberg.

With a capacity 459-seat screening room completely full, with representatives of the political, diplomatic, economic and cultural circles, the Opening Ceremony commenced with a series of speeches, mostly presented in French and English, with some partly in Luxembourgish.

Special guests included the acclaimed Spanish-speaking film maker, Alejandro Amenabar, for whom a homage was paid, as well as representatives of the various juries, some of whom were present. He briefly addressed the audience, mentioned being impressed while walking around the city, mentioning the fortifications in particular.

The President of Luxembourg City Film Festival, Georges Santer, talked about international recognition and all the hard work undertaken by the festival team and volunteers. He mentioned “Luxembourg ingredients” in the world of cinema. He also addressed it being a showcase for local talent across different genres.

Luxembourg's Minister of Culture, Eric Thill, talked about cinema and multiculturalism, building bridges between people and countries, with the festival being a platform that brings people together as one community to celebrate the art and passion of filmmaking. He also touched on the films “made in / with Luxembourg”, advocating the strength of the local film production industry, often forging collaboration with international partners.

The Mayor of Luxembourg City, Lydie Polfer, talked about the 169 nationalities living within Luxembourg City, mentioning that over 70% have other nationalities, who “live together in harmony”. She also talked about the Cinémathèque in Luxembourg city centre undergoing renovations next year.

The audience was then treated to the Opening Screening, Hot Milk, a British drama directed and co-written by Rebecca Lenkiewicz and starring Emma Mackey, Vicky Krieps, Fiona Shaw and Vincent Perez; filmed in Greece (representing Almeria in Spain).

Before the screening, the festival's Artistic Director, Alexis Juncosa, mentioned the industry workshops being held within the festival and introduced the Opening film and the director, Rebecca Lenkiewicz, with whom he chatted, instead of conducting a post-screening Q&A as would be traditional. She recalled how she came across the book and the casting, and also explained the few “threads” in the film that are not in the book, also mentioning the film “is not as funny as the book”.

Synopsis: With a strange illness, a mother and her daughter embark on a journey to the Spanish coast to find a cure, and along the way the daughter discovers another reality far from her controlling mother.

The screening was followed by a crémant and finger food reception.

ED