As President of ULPA, what does the film industry represent in the Luxembourg economy (culture/employment/international exposure, etc)?
The audiovisual industry in Luxembourg is very diversified (feature films, short films, documentaries, series, animation, XR/VR projects, etc.) and each Luxembourg artist or technician involved in a production contributes to the cultural expression of a work. Whether national or international, the production of a film with Luxembourg has economic repercussions on our country and the return on investment is far superior to the budgets allocated to our sector by the Government. As for Luxembourg’s brand image abroad, this year we will once again be present with 3 co-productions at the 76th Cannes Film Festival. The participation of Luxembourg productions in various international events has been regular and rewarded with numerous prizes for several years now. The expertise of technicians and producers is recognized by our partners abroad. All things considered, over the years we have earned our place within independent cinema.
“You must take your ambitions in stride knowing that you are running a marathon and not a sprint.”
Many young Luxembourgers hesitate in their choice of career. What advice would you give them to choose a path that fully satisfies them as you or your brother did?
Endurance is certainly an important element to have a chance to reach your goal and you must take your ambitions in stride knowing that you are running a marathon and not a sprint. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to choose the race you want to run and once you start, not to let yourself be discouraged. One must not succumb to the temptation of “everything right here, right now and without effort”. But you also need a touch of lightness and carelessness to not see all the difficulties you might encounter along the way.
In this election year, what points would you like to see in the programmes of the main parties to ensure the future competitiveness of the country?
There is a regular and serious exchange with the partner authorities of our sector, and I hope that there is a consensus of the four main parties of the country on the importance of the film industry, on cultural, economic, and public image aspects. It is necessary to look to the future, considering, among other things, the “next generation” in order to maintain a large pool of technicians in Luxembourg. The distribution of the overall budget allocated to the sector and sustainable development in the practices of our activities are also important thoughts we must discuss. Many of our country’s economic difficulties also affect our industry. Beginning with inflation. We are currently attentive to changes in governance within Film Fund Luxembourg (Selection Committee, Board of Directors, etc.) and invited to express our views on the new Film Fund Luxembourg new law by the government. The years of collaboration remain fruitful. We strive to discuss with all political parties open to our multiple and diversified audiovisual activities.
