17/03/2025 - The feature by Bogdan Mureșanu has scooped the Grand Prix, while The Landscape and the Fury by Nicole Vögele was crowned Best Documentary at the country’s main film gathering

The Luxembourg City Film Festival (LuxFilmFest, 6-16 March) has announced the winners of its 15th edition, which set a new attendance record with over 21,000 visitors. This year's edition also welcomed Alejandro Amenábar and Tim Roth as guests of honour.

The international jury, chaired by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, and composed of Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, UK screenwriter Paul Laverty, Austrian thesp Valerie Pachner, Catalonian filmmaker Albert Serra, and Luxembourgish writer-director and VFX artist Jeff Desom, awarded The New Year That Never Came [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bogdan Mureşanu
film profile] by Bogdan Mureșanu the Grand Prix, valued at €10,000. Additionally, the film received the FIPRESCI Award, presented by an international panel of film critics under the auspices of the International Federation of Film Critics.

The jury stated about the film: “Although it’s set in the recent past, that can be seen as a reflection of the present, and it carries a warning for the future. It is a film with beautiful images and fascinating performances. It is skilfully constructed and builds to a wonderful climax. Although the characters face terror and repression, the great absurdity of the regime is exposed by intelligence and wit.”

The international jury awarded a Special Mention to The Village Next to Paradise [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Mo Harawe, which was shot in Somalia, praising it as a “brave, bold and multi-layered story”. The film also received the 2030 Award, presented for the fourth consecutive year by Luxembourg Aid & Development, accompanied by a cash prize of €7,500. The jury for this award stated: “Our winner managed to highlight the complex relationship between different characters, to reverse traditional family roles and to showcase a very strong female lead. Through its protagonists, it emphasised the importance of education and the choices resulting from poverty, but most of all, resilience in the face of adversity.”

The documentary jury – composed of industry experts Doris Bauer, head of selection at Vienna Shorts; Jumaï Laguna, programmer at Premiers Plans; Hugo Rosàk, head of the Industry Office at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival; Léo Soesanto, journalist and programmer for the Riga International Film Festival; and Wim De Witte, director of programming at Film Fest Gent – granted the Documentary Award, which includes a cash prize of €5,000, to The Landscape and the Fury [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Nicole Vögele. The jury described the film as “a poignant observation that reminded us that we are only visitors to the land we dwell on, the land we divide or a land we just need to cross, and that our experience of humanity is only temporary”.

Finally, the Best Immersive Experience Award was presented to Champ de bataille/Battlefield by François Vautier, with the jury praising its masterful cinematic language and powerful depiction of war’s existential absurdity. They highlighted its poetic imagery, where trees grow over former battlefields, as a haunting yet hopeful metaphor. A Special Mention was awarded to Ito Meikyū by Boris Labbé for its innovative use of immersivity and interactivity, allowing audiences to explore shifting landscapes and hidden dimensions.

Here is a list of the winners of the 15th Luxembourg City Film Festival:

Grand Prix
The New Year That Never Came [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bogdan Mureşanu
film profile] - Bogdan Mureşanu (Romania/Serbia)
Special Mention
The Village Next to Paradise [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Mo Harawe (Austria/France/Germany/Somalia)

Documentary Award
The Landscape and the Fury [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Nicole Vögele (Switzerland)

FIPRESCI Award
The New Year That Never Came - Bogdan Mureşanu

2030 Award
The Village Next to Paradise - Mo Harawe

Audience Award
Went up the Hill - Samuel Van Grinsven (New Zealand/Australia)

Immersive Experience Award
Champ de bataille/Battlefield - François Vautier (Belgium/France/Luxembourg)
Special Mention
Ito Meikyū - Boris Labbé (France/Luxembourg)

Youth Jury Award
Home Game [+see also:
film review
interview: Lidija Zelovic
film profile] - Lidija Zelović (Netherlands)

School Jury Award
Winners [+see also:
interview: Soleen Yusef
film profile] - Soleen Yusef (Germany)
Special Mention
Young Hearts [+see also:
film review
interview: Anthony Schatteman
film profile] - Anthony Schatteman (Belgium/Netherlands)

Kids’ Jury Award
Greetings from Mars [+see also:
interview: Sarah Winkenstette
film profile] - Sarah Winkenstette (Germany)