The New Year That Never Came, a drama about the Romanian revolution of 1989, written and directed by Bogdan Muresanu, won the Grand Prix, the top prize, at the 15th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival (LuxFilmFest) on Saturday.
“December 20, 1989. Romania is on the brink of revolution. The authorities are preparing New Year’s festivities as if nothing – or almost nothing – is happening, but the official façade begins to crack,” reads a synopsis for the film, which world premiered at Venice 2024. “Amid the fervor of the uprising, six lives will intersect over the course of an extraordinary day, which leads to the fall of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his regime.”
The fest jury, led by Iranian filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, also included Danish actress Trine Dyrholm (The Girl With the Needle, Poison), VFX expert Jeff Desom (Everything Everywhere All at Once), Austrian actress Valerie Pachner (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, A Hidden Life), Spanish director Albert Serra (Afternoons of Solitude), and screenwriter Paul Laverty. The festival has also featured masterclasses by British star Tim Roth and Oscar-winning filmmaker Alejandro Amenábar.
The New Year That Never Came, “although set in the recent past, … can be seen as a reflection of the present and carries a warning for the future,” the jury said. “It is a film with beautiful images and fascinating performances. It is skillfully constructed and builds to a wonderful climax. Although the characters face terror and repression, the grand absurdity of the regime is exposed by intelligence and wit. It is a reminder that the powerful fear ridicule, often the first crack in their barbarism.”
The jury also mentioned The Village Next to Paradise, Mo Harawe’s feature debut that explores the socio-political situation in Somalia through a family. The movie also won the 2030 Award by Luxembourg Aid & Development on Saturday.
The festival’s documentary award went to The Landscape and the Fury by Nicole Vögele, a doc about the Bosnia-Croatia borderlands.
Meanwhile, Went Up the Hill by Samuel Van Grinsven, starring Luxembourg’s Vicky Krieps, won the audience award, while the International Critics’ (Fipresci) Award went to The New Year That Never Came.
The Youth Jury Award was bestowed upon Home Game by Lidija Zelovic, the School Jury Award went to Sieger Sein by Soleen Yusef, with a special mention going to Young Hearts by Anthony Schatteman, and the Kids Jury Award winner was Grüsse Vom Mars by Sarah Winkenstette.
The LuxFilmFest also handed the Best Immersive Experience Award to Champ De Bataille (Battlefield) by François Vautier, with a special mention for Ito Meikyū by Boris Labbé.
