“I feel like the festival is expanding every year”, Rae Lyn Lee told RTL Today Radio during a press junket at the Luxembourg City Film Festival. “They’ve made it so human. It’s accessible. And that’s really valuable.”
Originally from Singapore, Rae Lee Lyn first came to Luxembourg 15 years ago – and spoke neither Luxembourgish nor French. But having learnt both languages, and firmly established herself in the Grand Duchy’s cinematic scene, she sees herself as something of an insider in this year’s International jury.
“It’s really inclusive, and kind of necessary. I mean, I’m not the first.” Previous editions have featured the likes of Jeff Desom and Vicky Krieps – always maintaining a Luxembourgish character during an otherwise very international event.
“It’s really, really cool”, she continued. “I can’t describe it anywhere else because it’s an opportunity for people to meet that wouldn’t normally meet.”
“And I think that goes for the entire festival as well. You go to see a film that you think, oh, I don’t think anyone else would want to see this with me. And you might meet people there.”
This year’s international jury is anything but unanimous. But that’s a good thing, so Rae Lyn.
“We’re not all on the same page with films, which is excellent because it just goes to show how different we are, how people experience the world differently.”
The final delibrations – and the final decision – by the jury will be on Sunday, 15 March. Rae Lyn, as a director and cinematographer herself, appreciates her fellow members’ diverse technical background in this matter.
“We all know the amount of work, the sweat and tears that goes into making a film”, she said.
“And because we make films, we know how films are made, and we know how certain things are crafted, and how difficult it is to do certain things. So if you watch a film and the story is so well told that even you as a filmmaker are impressed, it’s like, ‘oh my god, I couldn’t do that. How did this person do this?’ It’s amazing.”
The Luxembourg City Film Festival continues through to Sunday with screenings, discussions and events across the capital.
