EXCLUSIVE: Vicky Krieps is in talks to star in Operation Annie, an English-language Second World War comedy about the US forces who took over Radio Luxembourg in 1944 to pump fake propaganda broadcasts to the Nazis, for Luxembourg’s Samsa Film.
It is being written by UK comedy writer Ian Martin, whose credits include The Thick Of It and The Death Of Stalin. No director is yet attached.
Operation Annie is being produced by Samsa head Bernard Michaux, who is also managing director of Krieps’ Luxembourg-based Viktoria Film. Samsa previously produced Marie Kreutzer’s Corsage, in which Krieps starred in what was her breakout role.
Germany’s Weydemann Bros and Belgium’s Wrong Men are understood to be joining Operation Annie as coproducers.
Samsa is also working with Krieps on A Very Small Country, which the actress hopes to shoot as her first feature film as a director next year. Krieps also aims to star in the English-language drama about a mother-daughter relationship.
Meanwhile, Michaux and his team are working on a documentary about Radio Luxembourg, which is being directed by Dominique Santana.
Samsa is also producing the drama series Lazarus that will start filming next week.
Further projects include a minority coproducer role on Maya Butterfly, about a young soprano suffering from hearing loss, produced by Ireland’s Hail Mary Pictures, and Elisabeth Hesemans’ drama Look Up Sammy, a Benelux co-production with the Netherlands’ Kepler Film and A Private View in Belgium. The latter received support through the new Benelux Co-Development Fund earlier this week
Samsa is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and is one of the most prolific coproducers in the Benelux region. Film Fund Luxembourg invests around €44mn a year in film and TV production, up to €1.5m per project for minority coproduction and €3m for majority local productions.
In addition to Corsage, its many credits include Irina Palm, starring Marianne Faithfull and the Dardenne brothers’ La Promesse.
Samsa also develops rising Luxembourgish talent, working with local directors including Stephen Korytko (Dead Dad Girl) and Eileen Byrne (Marianengraben).
Michaux, whose Lucil Film merged with Samsa in 2015, runs the company with Jani Thiltges and Claude Waringo, among the original co-founders of Samsa in 1986. Thiltges and Waringo own 40% each of the company. Michaux holds the remaining 20% but is expected to buy out his partners when they eventually step down.
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