Luxembourg, Luxembourg to Premiere in Kharkiv

Antonio Lukich’s film was screened at the 79th Venice International Film Festival in 2022 as a part of the Horizons competition program.

Luxembourg, Luxembourg is a story about two twin brothers, Vasyl and Mykola, who have chosen opposite paths in life. While one works as an honest policeman and always follows the rules, the other is an impolite and impudent bus driver who constantly breaks the law.

Suddenly, they discovered their father was in serious condition and might die in Luxembourg. The brothers had last seen him when they were children, and he was a local crime lord. The characters must decide whether to meet him before he dies. It’s just like people: difficult decisions bring doubts and require discussion.

Amil and Ramil Nasirov from the Kurgan and Agregat music band played the main characters, and it was their acting debut. The brothers said they spoke the heroes’ lines in their style, in surzhyk. This is how they sing and speak in real life.

When asked about the sequel to My Thoughts Are Quiet, the director replied that this project was not timely and had lost its relevance due to the full-scale invasion.

“We couldn’t have dreamed that we would finish and show the film in Kharkiv. We are grateful to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the people of Kharkiv for this. The film was shot before the full-scale invasion, and it would most likely not have been released now. It is difficult to imagine such a story today,” Antonio Lukich comments after the screening.

Facts about the movie

• The locations of the film are Lubny (Poltava region), Kyiv, and Luxembourg;
• Antonio Lukich dedicated his new work to his father, who passed away in Spain in 2016. “With love, about his secrets, lies, and touching Bosnian music, which I never liked. Until now,” the film ends with this shot and a photo together with his father;
• The Volvo that the characters use to travel from Lubny to Luxembourg on the screen is the car of the cinematographer Mykhailo Liubarskyi;
• The film’s Wikipedia page states that the film’s budget was 28.5 million UAH / $780,000 instead of the claimed 42.3 million / $1,150,000. Instead, Antonio Lukich said that the film’s budget included 18 million UAH / $490,000 with help from Luxembourg, and 28.5 million UAH / $780,000 was the amount that was initially planned to be raised;
• Actress Liudmyla Sachenko, who played the grandmother, died of cancer before the film premiered;
• For the first time in Ukraine, the film was shown on April 5 at Blyzniuky village in Kharkiv region. This is the birthplace of the film’s leading actors, Amil and Ramil Nasirov. There was a red carpet and a full hall for 425 spectators. All the proceeds from ticket sales for the film’s premiere will be donated to the needs of the soldiers from Blyznyky who are now in the East of Ukraine.
• The premiere in Kharkiv also had a sold-out;
• The film will be available on Netflix in two months.