Film Fund Luxembourg director Guy Daleiden is looking forward to the 15th anniversary of Luxembourg having an official stand in Cannes. (Photo: Mike Zenari)

Film Fund Luxembourg director Guy Daleiden is looking forward to the 15th anniversary of Luxembourg having an official stand in Cannes. (Photo: Mike Zenari)

The Film Fund Luxembourg director notes that 2017 also marks the 15th anniversary of Luxembourg’s official stand in Cannes, during what he calls one of the rare instances in which “Luxembourg has access to the sea”. And this year the Crown Prince Guillaume and Crown Princess Stéphanie will be in attendance.

But it isn’t all about sea, sand and sun: over the 12 days, Daleiden will be promoting recent grand duchy productions and co-productions. And with many traditional partners--France, for example--focusing more on their own domestic productions, this could translate into the formation of new partnerships.

“I personally like this. Other territories, especially in eastern Europe, have different stories and different cultural, political, and social backgrounds,” Daleiden says, adding that such collaborations “bring a cultural richness, and producers can only benefit from that”.

Another area where collaboration will be intensified is with Canada, as it was announced on 20 April that Daleiden and Ambassador of Canada to Luxembourg, Olivier Nicoloff, had signed an audiovisual co-production treaty in Ottawa “with particular emphasis on innovative and non-linear content”, as stated in the government press release. The announcement coincided with Prime Minister Xavier Bettel’s visit to Canada.

Luxembourg’s audiovisual evolution

The organisation’s budget for promoting Luxembourg this year is €135,000, but this wasn’t always the case.

Daleiden recalls earlier days: “We started 25 years ago at an amateur level, not because the people were amateurs but because there was no infrastructure or financial support. The people who developed the Luxembourg industry had to invest so much personally and privately.”

When pressed to name a few of his favourite Luxembourg films, he admits it isn’t easy: “I’m too much involved in the professional side of the industry, and I have to say it would be unfair to name one because the quality has extremely evolved in the last 25 years.”

The top 5

Daleiden knows what he likes and doesn’t like. He recalls seeing Wim Wenders’ “Paris, Texas” while he was at university in Germany: “I couldn’t stand it, even though I liked some of his later work.” He also disapproved of the 1994 comedy-drama “Forrest Gump”, despite the numerous awards and nominations the film received.

Film is, of course, very personal; what could be a favourite today could change tomorrow.

Below are the top 5 films Daleiden never tires of watching, along with his reasons for selecting each of them:

Mulholland Drive (2001)

“For the beauty and storytelling by David Lynch.”

The Big Lebowski (1998)

“The Dude.”

In the Name of the Father (1993)

“Art also has to deal with politics. There’s a political message in the story, and artists have a role to play in bringing injustices and problems to the forefront.”

Down by Law (1986)

“I remember the impression it gave me when I first saw it…the storytelling and its quietness impressed me completely, it was so different.”

Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid (1982)

“For its intelligence of scenes cut into old movies, and its sense of humour.”