HOW TO APPLY:
The application is open to all Luxembourg-resident and/or Luxembourg national filmmakers and should consist of three brief texts, written in English, Luxembourgish, French or German:
1. A compelling pitch outlining your idea (a one-page synopsis will do, no script required).
2. A text explaining how you want to approach your shoot and how you plan to work within your production budget (one page max.).
3. A concise filmmaker bio including, if applicable, links to your previous works.
Feel free to hand in more than one proposal.
The deadline for submissions is January 6th. Send your entries to info@quickies.lu.
We invite all interested parties to join us for a Zoom call on Sunday, December 17th, at 10.00 a.m. where you can pose questions and we will elaborate on the Quickies concept. Please let us know by email if you would like to participate in this call. If you're unable to attend but still have queries, feel free to reach out to us via email as well.
Please note that production is scheduled to take place between February and the end of May 2024. Though a quick turnaround is what we aim for, you should plan in at least 3-4 weeks from pre- to post-production. The shooting and mixing dates of each film will be set with our series manager in accordance with the filmmakers’ preferences and the availabilities of equipment and sound-studios. You should only apply if you can assure availability within this period.
A select jury will choose the 12 projects and notify successful applicants by the end of January.
PROPOSAL GUIDELINES:
All films must be set in or around Luxembourg, delving into our immediate reality. Capture life as you perceive it, offering your unique perspective on our culturally diverse society and the lives we live. Push the boundaries, challenge conventions and dare to break the rules. Don’t be polite, be uncomfortable if that’s what it takes. Embrace the personal or dive into the unknown. Show off your skills, be aesthetically ambitious - or embrace the down-and-dirty. Show us what Luxembourg’s cinema culture can be, tell us the stories we didn’t know needed to be told. Remember, cinema serves as a mirror to society, and your filmmaking is not merely personal fulfilment; it also carries a necessary social function.
Whatever you write, keep in mind how you will shoot it within the given budget. We strongly advise against supplementing it with additional funds and encourage you to fully embrace the constraints imposed by the allocated €5050. You might want to ask friends or take a risk on people with less experience and shoot with a minimal crew to achieve this. The production budget is yours to spend, so spend it wisely.
In the spirit of quick and playful filmmaking, we encourage you to avoid prolonged fretting. Formulate your proposal, write it out, and submit. Be swift. We are looking forward to reading them!
Season 2 should be a reflection of where we stand in 2024, as a species in general, and as members of our immediate surrounding in particular. The goal is to curate a series of shorts that will shed light on a diverse range of local subjects, something that will show where and how we live in the widest possible spectrum. Our jury will take care to select an ensemble of stories, that together form a fascinating panoply of our reality in this moment in time.
It goes without saying that not all excellent proposals might find a place in the final selection. If your idea is not accepted, you should view this instead as a starting point towards a new project of your own, with the first step already taken. Whatever happens, it will not be a defeat!
THE PRODUCTION PROCESS:
Once the 12 films have been selected, each filmmaker will receive 5050€ as production budget (4040€ in advance, 1010€ upon delivery of the completed film and all required materials). The filmmakers produce the films themselves and can spend the money as they see fit - on salaries, locations, equipment rental and/or film stock - it is entirely up to you, but use your budget wisely.
Please also note that the music needs to be completely cleared for all kinds of screenings and online streaming, so if you want to purchase rights to existing music, this needs to be within your budget.
Filmreakter will employ a series manager who will oversee the entire Quickies project and can help out with urgent problems should they arise, but in general the filmmaking teams will be functioning as independent and self-relying units.
We encourage you to keep your crews small and limit production time to a minimum. A suggested timeline involves one week of preparation, followed by a two-day shoot, and concluding with one week of editing.
Filmreakter will put its camera, sound and editing equipment at the filmmaker’s disposal. If the filmmakers wish to use it, our series manager will coordinate the dates with you in accordance with the equipment’s availability.
Once you have finished your edit at a predetermined date, Filmreakter gives your film a quick sound post-production make-over in a professional studio, as well as the service of a picture grader, if so required.
CINEMA, ONLINE & TELEVISION PREMIERES:
We aim to have completed all films by early summer, allowing filmmakers a couple of months to submit their films to international festivals, before our Luxembourgish premiere cinema screening in the autumn of 2024. Starting in winter all films will be released to the online platforms quickies.lu and RTL Play, as well as broadcast on RTL Lëtzebuerg’s television channel.
PHILOSOPHY:
We champion a thriving local film community and perceive the Quickies project as an ideal catalyst for fostering collaboration and forging new alliances and creative partnerships. This extends beyond the individual shorts to encompass the entire series. Throughout the shooting period, participants are encouraged to attend our regular gatherings and film meetings, fostering engagement and facilitating opportunities for collaboration and mutual support.
In addition to the offer of regular meetings we have an active discord channel where the flow of discussion can be continued online.
If you're motivated to contribute to the project's broader aspects—such as organizing additional screenings, helping set up meetings throughout the year, or anything else you think can be helpful to your fellow creators — you are more than welcome to join us.
TIMELINE:
Application Deadline: January 6th
Notification of selection: End of January
: End of January
Start of Production Phase: February 2024
Latest hand-over for sound mixing and color correction: May 31st
Completion of Post-Production: June 2024
Cinema Premiere: Autumn 2024
Online release on quickies.lu and RTL Play and television broadcast of all episodes starting in winter 2024
The Quickies are a production of the Filmreakter asbl, with the support of the Film Fund Luxembourg and in partnership with RTL and the production companies Les Films Fauves and Wady Film.
