Luxembourg at Locarno: three films and the hunt for the Leopard

The Locarno Film Festival, one of the world's oldest and most prestigious film festivals, has become particularly significant for Luxembourg this year. The programme includes three films created with the participation of Luxembourg companies and supported by the national Film Fund Luxembourg. They are presented in various sections - from the main competition to the experimental section - and demonstrate the strength and diversity of a small but ambitious film industry.

In the international competition programme, the film "Dracula" by Romanian director Radu Jude, whose works have already received support from Luxembourg, will compete for the Golden Leopard. The film is a co-production of Romania, Austria and Luxembourg (Samsa Film and Paul Thiltges Distributions), while the technical side - from sound editing to mixing - was provided by Philophon Studios and an international team led by Ken Nnganyadi and Michelle Couttolenc.

"Un simple accident" (Un simple accident) by Iranian master Jafar Panahi will be screened at the iconic Piazza Grande, one of the festival's most media-savvy venues. The film has already won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and is now up for the UBS Audience Award. This coproduction between France, Iran and Luxembourg was realised with Bidibul Productions and producer Christel Henon.

The Out of Competition section of Fuori Concorso will host Exil, a profound and poetic drama by Tunisian director Mehdi Hmili, a co-production between Tunisia, France and Luxembourg. Effects and final materials were provided by Espera Productions, with final sound designed by Roll Studio. The film was shortlisted for the Green Leopard Award, a prize awarded from 2022 for films that tackle environmental themes in an original art form.