With the 16th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival running from 5 to 15 March, the organisers have just unveiled their Young Audience programme – a mainstay of their yearly cinematic line–up. While the festival organises many school viewings, these films will also be available to the general public, with the festival’s ticket office officially opening on Thursday, 15 January.
Luxembourgish youngsters, aged 3 and up, can once again take full advantage with warm, animated programming and more morning screenings. In the MON PREMIER CINÉMA category, the very youngest visitors can see Lena’s Farm, an animated tale of barnyard mischief, screening most mornings for the duration of the festival.
Lovely Latvian animation film Upside Down and the Swedish Who’s who? – both collections of short films – will similarly be shown throughout the course of the festival, mostly during early mornings, and best suited for viewers aged 3 and up.
From age 5, the LuxFilmFest will offer a collection of short films, including the Danish animation Lotte & Totte, as well as the Luxembourgish production The Woman and the Chicken. The Crazy Cinématographe for Kids programme (for ages 6 to 11) will once again set up its tent in the courtyard of the Théâtre des Capucins, with this year’s theme being the Circus and wild cartoons.
For burgeoning cinephiles aged 7 and up, the festival offers three films originally presented at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival 2025 (Les Contes du pommier, Le Secret des mésanges, and Olivia). For the 10 plus crowd, there’s Ghost School – presented by its director, Seemab Gul – and the critically–acclaimed Luxembourg co–production The Secret Floor.
The Grand Duchy’s teenage demographic will, of course, also be able to watch and experience its fair share at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. On offer are films like the German production Karla, set in Munich, 1962, and starring Elise Krieps, the daughter of Luxembourgish movie star Vicky Krieps.
The Luxembourgish audiovisual and animation sector, as well as various cultural institutions, will also be involved in educational and interactive activities by supporting numerous workshops tailored to young guests.
The LuxFilmFest Campus – a professional weekend intended for all students of the Greater Region – will run from 6 to 8 March for those particularly interested in the world of live–action or 2D/3D animation filmmaking. Networking opportunities, conferences, masterclasses, and preview film screenings are all included in the weekend experience.
The festival’s Mudamini events at Luxembourg’s modern art museum and interactive workshops at Casino Luxembourg will also make a return, offering young Luxembourgers the chance to create their own cut–out characters, explore digital glitches in a creative way, and create their very own silent films.
Those interested in the professional world of filmmaking can, as always, Meet the Pros in a free event organised by the BTS Cinéma et Audiovisuel course at the Lycée des Arts et Métiers. The Immersive Pavillion at Neumunster Abbey will also make a return, offering the public unique VR experiences between 5 and 22 March.
For young people aged 14 and over, a masterclass on film criticism in the age of social media will be given by film critic Inge Coolsaet. She will also give a masterclass “When Video Games Make Their Documentary” as part of LuxFilmFest Campus.
The classic screenplay and clip competition Crème fraîche will once again return to show off the Grand Duchy’s rising cinematic talent, organised by The Centre National de l’Audiovisuel (CNA) with the support of Orange Luxembourg and Service National de la Jeunesse (SNJ).
This year, the Class 4.1 of Kirchberg Primary School will act as the festival’s Children’s Jury to award the Children’s Jury Prize. The Class 7G5 at Fieldgen High School will take over duties as the festival’s School Jury to award the School Jury Prize, while the 3e A Media class at Robert Schuman High School will be awarding the Youth Jury Prize – By Kinepolis.
The Luxembourg City Film Festival has a lot to offer Luxembourg’s youngest generation of cinephiles and filmmakers, so do check out the recently revealed Young Audience film programme on its website. The festival has further unveiled the first films in its ‘Out of Competition’ selection, and teased a full programme reveal on Thursday, 12 February. To stay up to date, keep an eye on their official website: luxfilmfest.lu.
