11/12/2009

The biannual Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis, the Luxembourg Film Awards, were handed out last weekend, with the top prize going to Jean-Claude Schlim’s Aids drama House of Boys [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Dutch-Luxembourg co-production Bride Flight [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ben Sombogaart
interview: Hanneke Niens
film profile] was crowned Best Co-Production, with another co-production, A Town Called Panic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stéphane Aubier and Vincen…
interview: Stéphane Aubier & Vincent P…
film profile], taking the animated feature honours.

House of Boys, which recounts the unusual love story of a Luxembourg pupil and an American nightclub dancer, also won Best Technical Contribution for cinematographer Carlo Thiel. Production designer Christina Schaffer was awarded a Special jury Award for her work on a staggering eleven projects, including the three Luxembourg films in contention for best film: House of Boys, Réfractaire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolas Steil
film profile], and Dust.

Best Artistic Contribution went to writer-directors Beryl Koltz and Armand Strainchamps for their non-fiction portrait of a town, Diddeleng -- 100 Joër, 100 Gesiichter. Director Andy Bausch received two awards for non-fiction films: Best Documentary for Entrée d’artistes, about the local swing music scene in the first half of the 20th century, and the Audience Award for InThierryView, his portrait of the late actor Thierry Van Werveke.

Dutch producer Hanneke Niens was on hand to receive the Best Co-Production award for Bride Flight, together with local colleague Jani Thilges (who will also receive the Prix Eurimages during the upcoming European Film Awards ceremony).

They also announced they will be co-producing a new film together: writer-director Threes Anna’s Silent City, a psychological portrait of a young European woman who travels to Tokyo to learn the art of preparing fish. The film is based on the multihyphenate’s own novel.

Besides Niens’ new structure KeyFilm and Thiltges’ Samsa Film, the project is also backed by the Dutch Film Fund, Dutch broadcaster AVRO and an Irish co-producer. The film is slated for a release in February 2011 through A-Film.