DESERTION, 30min., Luxembourg
Directed by Chantal Lorang
After World War II, a military chaplain remembers the young soldiers who lost their nerve and ran away on the Eastern Front. In military prison he also had to look after Josy Lorang, a Luxembourger who had been forcibly recruited. Josy could no longer endure the Wehrmacht’s atrocities at the front and the attacks on the civilian population, deserted and was recaptured and sentenced to death by a court martial. During the last weeks of his life, he regularly wrote to his young wife and parents from prison, confided in the military chaplain and sought strength in his faith.

Get to know the filmmaker:

1. What motivated you to make this film?

family trauma

2. From the idea to the finished product, how long did it take for you to make this film?

2 years

3. How would you describe your film in two words!?

death & love

4. What was the biggest obstacle you faced in completing this film?

Finding historical sites and props, rifles, uniforms, Kübelwagen… from the time of the Second World War without a budget was a real challenge.

5. There are 5 stages of the filmmaking process: Development. Pre-Production. Production. Post-Production. Distribution.

What is your favorite stage of the filmmaking process?

Production

6. When did you realize that you wanted to make films?

At the age of 20 I was an actress in a student-movie called ‚Gwendolyn’

7. What film have you seen the most times in your life?

‘Call me by your name’

8. In a perfect world: Who would you like to work with/collaborate with on a film?

Ingmar Bergman / Andrei Tarkovsy/ Jane Campion

9. You submitted to the festival via FilmFreeway. How has your experiences been working on the festival platform site?

I just can recommend filmfreeway, I used this platform previously for other prize-winning shortfilms of mine like ‚The seaside is our home’ or ‚Behind the mask’

10. What is your favorite meal?

Scampis / potato pancakes

11. What is next for you? A new film?

Photo series on the theme of male vulnerability, or the continuation of DESERTION from the lieutenant’s perspective.