Director Félix Koch celebrates Superjhemp retörns wining the best Luxembourg Film award at the 2021 Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis at the Grand Théâtre on Friday 26 November. Matic Zorman

Director Félix Koch celebrates Superjhemp retörns wining the best Luxembourg Film award at the 2021 Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis at the Grand Théâtre on Friday 26 November. Matic Zorman

The cream of the Luxembourg film industry was at the Grand Théâtre on Friday night to celebrate the seventh art.

Following a revamped two-tier voting system and the introduction of new categories, as well as three years’ worth of films to choose from instead of two, the 2021 Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis awards ceremony was an eagerly anticipated affair.

Held at the Grand Théâtre, the ceremony was a celebration of the industry but also a starl warning that the coronavirus pandemic is far from over. Guests dressed to the nines were told upon arrival that the traditional post-ceremony drink and walking dinner had been cancelled. That decision was taken by Xavier Bettel, who was at the event in his role as minister for media.

The big winner on the night was undoubtedly production company Samsa, which not only won the best Luxembourg film award for Superjhemp retörns, but also won the best co-production prize for documentary Collective and best new media or TV production prize for its hit series Capitani.

Capitani came away with four awards, also picking up the best artistic contribution prize for its screenplay by Thierry Faber, Christophe Wagner and Eric Lamhène, and also both best acting prizes for Luc Schiltz and Sophie Mousel respectively.

The brand-new best music award also went to a Samsa production, with the hugely popular André Dziezuk picking up the prize for his score for Tel Aviv On Fire.

But Melusine Productions also had a good night, with two prizes for Wolfwalkers – Nicolas Debray and Gilles Rudziak and their team collected the best artistic contribution in animated film prize and producer Stéphan Roelants picking up the prize awarded by the Luxembourg film journalists association. Roelants was back on stage, and made a moving speech about the plight of Afghans, to collect the best Luxembourg animated feature film prize for Les Hirondelles de Kaboul.

The tension could have been cut with a knife when Julien Becker and Myriam T. went up to collect the best Luxembourg documentary prize for An Zéro, perhaps the most controversial choice of the evening my members of the Luxembourg Filmakadamie. The joint directors were in dispute over the final version of the film.

Here is the full list of awards

Best Luxembourg Film: Superjhemp retörns, directed by Félix Koch for Samsa

Best Luxembourg animated feature: Les Hirondelles de Kaboul directed Eléa Gobbé-Mévellec and Zabou Breitman for Melusine Productions

Best Luxembourg documentary: An Zéro directed by Julien Becker and Myriam T. for Skill Lab

Best TV and new media production: Capitani directed by Christophe Wagner for Samsa

Best Luxembourg co-production: Collective directed by Alexander Nanau for Samsa

Best female actor: Sophie Mousel in Capitani

Best male actor: Luc Schiltz in Capitani

Best creative contribution: Thierry Faber, Christophe Wagner and Eric Lamhène for the screenplay of Capitani

Best creative contribution in animation: Nicolas Debray and Gilles Rudziak and team for Wolfwalkers

Best music: André Dziezuk for Tel Aviv On Fire, Samsa

Best short fiction or documentary film: Portraitiste directed by Cyrus Neshvad for Cynefilms

Best animated short film: Seed of Hop directed by Claude Kongs for Antevita Films

Best animated production in new media or TV: Fox and Hare directed by Mascha Halberstad and Tom van Gestel for Doghouse Films

Best XR work:  Ayahuasca by Jan Kounen for a-Bahn

Luxembourg film journalist association prize: Wolfwalkers directed by Tomm Moore for Melusine Productions