Céline Coubray: Can you tell us more about the origins of Tarantula, the production company?

: The key word in this adventure is desire. The desire to make films, in the broadest sense of the term, i.e. to discover the world of cinema in order to make them, direct them, share them and also find a way of life. So Tarantula is an inseparable part of my life.

It was also born in 1995, in a different cultural scene to the one we have today. Can you explain the context in which you created this company?

It was the birth of the audiovisual industry in the broadest sense of the term. We weren’t the precursors because there were already companies that had been set up before us and that were beginning to share this desire with the politicians, who were essential to this development, but we arrived at a time when institutions were coming into being and we were looking for a form of organisation. I’d just come out of film school, I’d done three years of practical work in the field as an assistant director and we took advantage of this momentum to create Tarantula.

What was your ambition?

To make my own films. That was my first motivation, to have a structure that could support me in the realisation of my own projects. But I quickly became fascinated by the world of production. So I spent the first five years learning the profession of producer. We developed a first feature film, ‘Une part du ciel,’ which in 2002 found itself in official competition at the Cannes Festival, in the ‘Un certain regard’ section. That gave us a great deal of exposure, and a form of local and international recognition that put us on the map of European independent audiovisual production. And one project led to another.

With your own projects, but also those of other directors.

Yes, and I like wearing both hats, director and producer, two professions in which I have never stopped learning, adapting and navigating as the world has changed over the last thirty years.

Does being a producer mean being more than just a film financier?

In my definition, it means trying to coordinate the constituent elements of a society in its own vision of the world, and then translating them into projects.

So everything is learning: politics, geopolitics, societal evolution, sociology, ethnology, migratory flows, languages... There’s a whole series of elements that are part of life, or at least that interest me in my life, and that are part of the thinking behind making a film. That’s why our editorial line as a producer is defined by projects that question the world through a form that is cinema.

And you don’t do this alone, but generally through co-productions.

Producing in Luxembourg means first and foremost co-producing. It’s in our country's DNA. Because of our size and our financial clout, we have to deal with our neighbours and our neighbours’ neighbours. Co-production is the starting point for any cinematographic adventure in Luxembourg. It means coexisting with partners from other countries, coming face to face with different languages, cultures, working habits and political situations. It’s very rewarding to co-produce. It’s not just mathematical calculations to raise money; there’s a very important human dimension. The rest is work. And after 30 years, I think we know how to do that. But it’s the human adventure that leaves the deepest mark on a film.

That’s another reason why you wanted to develop Tarantula outside Luxembourg, with Tarantula Belgium in particular.

From the outset, there was the political idea of setting up audiovisual production companies in several European countries with the same name and the same visual impact, i.e., the same logo. Individual independent entities, but able to share the same film editorial line. It developed in five countries over a good ten years: Luxembourg, Belgium, England, Switzerland and France. And then, as in life, there were divorces, some companies disappeared, others were sold and today there are two left, Belgium and Luxembourg.

What is the advantage of having these two companies?

Cumulatively. We need partners abroad to achieve 100% financing. The sector is supported by state funding in Luxembourg, but that’s not enough to finance all the projects. Most of our work involves raising money abroad, generally around 70% of the overall budget.

Producing in Luxembourg means first and foremost co-producing.

Donato Rotunno, Founder and CEO, Tarantula Luxembourg

Alongside that, you also have another strong arm, which is distribution.

Ultimately, it’s a vision with a desire to complement each other. It’s a desire to see the process through to the end, i.e., not just to dream up the film, produce it and make it, but also to share it. And because Luxembourg is a small territory, it has long been neglected. And even today, it is not taken into consideration by foreign distributors. Our mission with distribution is to see this reflection through to the end. And because each film is a prototype, each project has its own form of communication and its own audience, the work of distribution is one of constant innovation, and that's really very gratifying. Recently, the animated film De Fox an d'Fonsi retten by Bësch achieved 7,200 paid admissions, which for Luxembourg is enormous! La Fourchette à gauche [What’s Left, in English, editor’s note] has also had a great run at festivals, cinemas and cultural centres, and being broadcast on RTL has also helped us reach a large part of the Luxembourg population. That’s no mean feat. Of course, it’s not profitable, we’re not millionaires, but is that the primary function of a theatrical documentary? I don’t think so. If we could promote other elements that have an impact on society, we would realise that culture is one of the essential pillars of democracy and diversity.

The audiovisual landscape has changed a lot in 30 years. In particular, there has been the arrival of streaming platforms. How has Tarantula taken this change into account?

I’ve always watched technological change with great interest, but I’ve taken a step back from the excitement that can surround it. So at Tarantula, platforms have not played a dominant role. But they can be complementary to financing at a given time. They are part of our business. Today, we’re having the same debate with artificial intelligence, and we’re adopting the same strategy. We are taking it into consideration, but from a distance.

Tarantula is also part of the consortium of six production companies taking part in Filmland. Why are they participating?

To respond to our desire to help directly in the making of films. It’s an essential tool and, along with other production companies, we are part of what makes up the film industry in Luxembourg.

After thirty years, the commitment remains the same?

It may be less naive and more reasoned, but it’s still very much alive. And that’s only possible thanks to the work of the whole team, who are committed to this vision. Tarantula is more of a clan than a company. It’s people who think, who live their values and who translate them into their day-to-day professional lives.

What are these values?

All the things that we throw away today, saying that they’re outdated: living together, otherness, diversity, open-mindedness. Left-wing values…

What defines a good film to produce?

A project that seems impossible, but has such a strong reason behind it that it’s worth trying. It’s about identifying with other enthusiasts the reasons needed to be able to throw yourself into a battle that’s almost lost. But when the film is there, that makes it even stronger, because it’s the fruit of a human adventure. And that’s usually reflected in the result.

Tarantula is also involved in VR production. Why did you take this direction?

Because we can’t stay out of the world. Because it’s a way of continuing to be curious about the world around us and allowing new forms of expression to serve our values. By moving into VR, we haven’t abandoned our editorial line. Instead, we’ve tried to integrate the subjects we cover into these new forms of audiovisual expression. And I think we’re doing it well, because we’re also present at international competitions like Venice and Tribecca. It’s a new way of looking at our world.

What needs do you see in the production industry over the next 10 years?

We are experiencing a real generational explosion of people who want to express themselves through various audiovisual forms. From series, to VR, short films, carte blanche, feature films, music videos... Consumption of audiovisual products is part of the daily life of the youngest generations. And there is a kind of fusion between these audiovisual production tools and the consumption that these young people have. They want access to this world of production, they want to produce, express themselves, direct and be on the market. And that’s all very well. But you have to realise that the country will not be able to grow and that the money available is not expandable. So there’s bound to be stiffer competition. As a result, they are asking themselves questions like, ‘Can I make a living from this, can I imagine starting a family if I make this career choice, how can I fit in in Luxembourg with rent prices as we know them?’ These are questions that our sector has to face, just like other economic sectors in the country.

Except that this sector came to professionalism later than the others.

That’s true. And over the last 15 years, we’ve done everything to ensure that this generation is now on the market. So we also have a responsibility to this generation and we have to be able to integrate them. But that’s a political question, and not one for me to answer. I can only make the observation.

30 years in business also means that it's time to think about the company’s future beyond yourself. Have you ever thought about that?

Yes, of course, but I’ve been thinking about it for years. One thing is certain: there will be no family succession. My children are great consumers of culture, but they have made a very deliberate choice, and a very reasonable one in my view, not to become involved in its production. And I’ve still got a few years ahead of me anyway, with a lot of desire to do things. So it’s going to stay that way for a while. And I wouldn’t be sad if the Tarantula adventure came to an end in a few years’ time.

But you also have a responsibility as an employer for your team.

Yes, that’s very clear. But I have tried to have a production company in which the same values that I would like to see outside this company are reproduced. The people who work for Tarantula have been there for a long time. The company is self-managed, with a high degree of autonomy, complementarity and solidarity. I may not have succeeded in changing the world, but Tarantula works in a way that corresponds to my vision of the world. And that’s not naive at all, because as a company director I have legal and financial responsibilities. What I’m saying is that you can have certain values while respecting the economic framework in which our society operates.

What's the greatest gift we've given over the last 30 years?

As a film-maker, I’ve been able to make films that ask the questions I have about myself and my life. That’s a unique opportunity. And then there’s the feedback from the audience, the traces that these works can leave and that the audience share with me. These are extraordinary moments, full of strong emotions and shared, similar, intimate stories.

As a producer, it’s all about the making of a film, the process of getting it made. And often, the most complicated moments are the strongest. When you’re on the brink, when you think you’re going to fall, but you feel alive. And that you overcome the difficulty thanks to the solidarity of your partners, because it’s together that you have to jump to the other side, take risks, roll up your sleeves and make sure that you don’t die. It’s a pure adrenaline rush.

As for distribution, it’s when you’re in the cinema and you see the impact a film has on the viewer. Even if it’s very fleeting. It may not change their lives, but at some point there’s an emotion. It’s still great.

This article was originally published in .