Guy Daleiden, Managing Director of Film Fund Luxembourg and Olivier Nicoloff, Canada's Ambassador to Luxembourg, signed a new Luxembourg-Canada audiovisual co-production agreement at Government House, Ottawa, during Prime Minister Xavier Bettel’s visit to Canada.

The new treaty, which supersedes the 1996 co-production agreement, aims to foster and support co-productions between the two countries for cinema, television and other screens, with particular emphasis on innovative and non-linear content, and takes into account new and recent technological developments.

To be eligible for support under the treaty, a Luxembourg or Canadian co-producer’s financial contribution to the film must be at least 15% of the total budget. Films made under the treaty will qualify as both Luxembourgish and Canadian.

Luxembourg has co-produced a number of films with Canada since signing the first bilateral treaty, among them Léa Pool’s 2010 feature La dernière fugue, by Iris Productions.

Other recent Luxembourg-Canada co-productions include Troisièmes Noces by director David Lambert (Bidibul Productions), a Luxembourg-Canada-Belgium co-production currently shooting in Luxembourg, and Dreamlandby Bruce McDonald (Calach Films), a three-way co-production between Luxembourg, Canada and Belgium currently in development, scheduled for shooting in Luxembourg in October. Also in development is Justice Dot Net by Luxembourg director Pol Cruchten (Iris Productions), a Luxembourg majority co-production set to start shooting in the Grand Duchy this autumn.

Image: Xavier Bettel, Guy Daleidon, Olivier Nicoloff