On the final night of the most successful Cinénygma to date, Festival Director, Romain Roll and Festival Producer, Solveig Harper, announced that, after 10 years, it was time to call it quits.

The 10th Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival, which was held from 22-28 October 2006 was the most successful in terms of money. The 12th Nuit du Film Fantastique, an integral part of the Festival, which involves all night viewing of a mixture of horror and fantasy movies and is nothing short of an institution in Luxembourg (and the only evening of its kind), sold out on the Tuesday before the event. Directors came from as far as Finland and Canada to talk about their films and participate at the Festival. Why then, did the hard working and long-suffering team announce that the Festival has run its course just when it seemed to be really hitting its stride?

The announcement was made on the night of the final film, Children of Men. Festival Director Romain Roll and Festival Producer Solveig Harper told the audience that, "For personal and financial reasons" they had decided to make this the last year.

This cannot have been an easy decision. Roll, Harper and the other organisers, (this year"s team included Duncan Roberts, Stéphane Caboche, and Pascale Michalski), work night and day before the annual event even occurs, and then virtually go without sleep to make sure that everything - the films, the ticketing, the organisation, the ceremonies, the prize giving, the publicity, the invited guests and the thank-yous - are looked after.

"There was nowhere else for us to grow," said Roberts, who has been with the Festival since its early stages. "We are very grateful to our many sponsors who have supported us." Money however, has always been a problem for the cash-strapped Festival that tries to promote itself on a European (if not beyond) level and attract celebrities from the fantasy and horror film world (directors, actors) to Luxembourg in as much as it aims to put local Luxembourg talent in the spot light. "We have never received a penny from Luxembourg City," said Roberts, who added that the City"s official stance is that they do not give money to such "clubs". It must leave a somewhat bitter taste then for the team, to have been turned down for participation in Luxembourg and Greater Region, European Capital of Culture 2007 because the 2007 organisers were going to host an entirely new Film Festival in Luxembourg, the Festival International de Cinéma, Ville de Luxembourg.

Cinénygma deserves credit, above all, for having provided a platform for local talent. This year"s Festival showed three original Luxembourgish short films, as well as the 40-minute film by Luxembourg native Jeff Desom, The Plotspoiler, and the premiere of Tarantula Films, "In a Dark Place" directed by Donato Rotunno. Some people may consider that the Luxembourg film industry"s peak was during the period when film studios worked on large international productions (sometimes nicknamed "Europudding"), but it can be argued that in someways it is now, when local talent is beginning to blossom, such as that of Luxembourg  Director Beryl Koltz. Her superb fantasy film, Star Fly, was the hit of the 2005 Cinénygma Luxembourg International Film Festival. It won the Kodak short movie award, and went on to win many other awards across Europe, notably at other fantasy film festivals.

Cinénygma, you will be missed.