Press

The 4th annual British & Irish Film Season fortnight concluded on Tuesday evening with the Closing Ceremony, the Awards for the Young Journalist Competition and the Closing Screening.

In his closing address, BIFS organiser, Geoff Thompson, focued on the innovations introduced this year, the majority of which worked well. These included the Season Special ticket, the Documentary Day, the Short Films, the BIFS Dinner, the Special Outings by local organisations (from the Ireland Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce to the Luxembourg Manx Association and the Whisky Club Luxembourg) and the Special Guests.

The latter formed the core of the film season, with guests from no less than four of the films screened, attending and participating in Q&A sessions afterwards. These included Maxine Peake (actor, Run & Jump), Robert de Hoog (actor, Love Eternal) and the entire Luxembourg cast and crew of this Ireland-Luxembourg co-production, Graham Cantwell (director & writer) and Amy Joyce Hastings (actor & producer) of the Callback Queen, and Simon Crocker (producer) and Mike Walden (writer) of UWANTME2KILLHIM?. These sessions gave the audience an insight into the making of the films as well as seeing what the future holds, not only for the films but also for the individuals themselves.

THe announced that the attendance for this season was 60% up on last year's figures, testament to the quality of the films on offer, the innovations and the marketing, of which the organisers had received specific praise. He also mentioned each sponsor by name, stressing how the event could not have happened without their support. He reserved a special mention of thanks to the staff of Utopia S.A. as well as the two Ambassadors, both present for the awards, who had supported him and the planning going back almost a year.

The British Ambassador to Luxembourg, Alice Walpole, and the Ambassador or Ireland to Luxembourg, Diarmuid O'Leary, both addressed the audience and congratulated the organisers and commented on the quality of the line-up of films for this year's season, as well as acknowledging the quality of the submissions for the Young Journalist Award, the prizes for which were then presented (see previous article) to a total of eight students at no less than ten educational establishments across Luxembourg.

Photo by Elizabeth Thompson: winners of the Young Journalist Competition pictured with Ambassador Walpole, Ambassador O'Leary, Bob Krieps from the Ministry of Culture and Geoff Thompson, BIFS organiser.