Andy Bausch

Andy Bausch is a Luxembourgish film director, screenwriter, and actor known for pioneering Luxembourgish cinema on the international stage and for his dedication to telling stories in the Luxembourgish language that reflect his country's culture and identity. ^{[1] [2]} Born on 12 April 1959 in Dudelange, Luxembourg, he studied painting and photography before entering filmmaking, initially drawn to cinema through his passion for rock music. ^{[3] [4]} Bausch began his career in the 1980s, quickly establishing himself with early cult films that blended rock 'n' roll influences, humor, and local flavor, and in 1990 he founded his production company Rattlesnake Pictures. ^[2] He has directed a wide range of feature films, television works, and documentaries, often working in both Luxembourgish and German productions to hone his craft while prioritizing homegrown stories. ^[5] His breakthrough works include Troublemaker (1988) and A Wopbobaloobop a Lopbamboom (1989), followed by successes such as The Unemployment Club (2001), which achieved significant domestic popularity, Deepfrozen (2006), Rusty Boys (2017), and the more recent Little Duke (2023). ^{[1] [3] [5]} Throughout his career, Bausch has emphasized the importance of Luxembourgish-language cinema as a means of preserving national identity, describing his mission as telling stories about Luxembourg and its people. ^[5] His films frequently explore themes of family, friendship, emotion, and resistance to cultural loss, drawing on his own experiences—including time spent working in Germany before returning to Luxembourg—and his view that emotions outweigh special effects in storytelling. ^[5] As a longstanding figure in Luxembourg's film industry, he has collaborated repeatedly with local actors and crews, contributing to the growth and visibility of Luxembourgish filmmaking both domestically and abroad. ^{[1] [5]}

Early life

Early years and education

Andy Bausch was born on 12 April 1959 in Dudelange, Luxembourg. ^[1] His father, an amateur filmmaker, often used an 8 mm camera to record family moments, flowers, and the forests surrounding Dudelange, passing down an early interest in capturing images on film. ^[6] As a teenager attending high school in Luxembourg City, Bausch developed a strong passion for music, especially rock, frequently attending concerts and filming his friends as well as these performances. ^[6] This enthusiasm for rock music and live shows brought him into contact with cinema, inspiring him to experiment with visual storytelling. ^[6] Around the ages of 16 or 17, he dreamed of becoming a rock musician, reflecting the cultural influence of music on his youth. ^[6] Bausch later studied painting and photography, building on his early visual interests before transitioning toward filmmaking. ^[1]

Career

Entry into filmmaking

Andy Bausch entered filmmaking in the late 1970s, initially through a high-school theater group that transitioned into the amateur Nasty Arts Film Team, where he produced and directed gritty short films on 8 mm and later 16 mm, addressing themes such as youth culture, drugs, sexual identity, and Edgar Allan Poe adaptations.^[7] His first publicly screened work was the short film Rubbish in 1979, establishing his early presence in Luxembourg's underdeveloped film environment, which lacked professional infrastructure or significant production activity during that era.^[7] Operating as an amateur collective, the Nasty Arts Film Team eventually disbanded, prompting Bausch to move toward more independent and mature projects.^[7] His transition to feature-length work culminated in his debut feature Gwyncilla: Legend of Dark Ages (1986), a fantasy film that marked his maturation as a filmmaker and one of the earliest autonomous feature productions from Luxembourg.^[8][7] This period positioned Bausch as a pioneering figure in Luxembourg cinema throughout the early 1980s to early 1990s, when the country had virtually no established film industry or funding mechanisms, and he helped lay the groundwork for autonomous feature filmmaking.^[7] Bausch gained initial international attention with his 1988 film Troublemaker, which served as his entry point into the Troublemaker trilogy and highlighted him as the first Luxembourg director to attract broader notice abroad, including screenings at festivals such as the AFI European Community Festival.^[7] In 1990, he founded Rattlesnake Pictures, his independent production company, which became his primary base for creative control and the ongoing development and production of his films.^[9]

The Troublemaker trilogy

The Troublemaker trilogy comprises three comedy-crime films directed by Andy Bausch: Troublemaker (1988), Back in Trouble (1997), and Trouble No More (2010).^[10] These films are united by their focus on troublemaking protagonists engaged in petty crime and misadventures, set against everyday Luxembourg locations, particularly in the southern Minette region.^[11] The trilogy achieved cult status in Luxembourg cinema, with the first installment regarded as a cornerstone of national film history for its humorous take on local life following the steel industry decline.^[12] The series prominently features the character Johnny Chicago, a charismatic yet inept ne'er-do-well portrayed by Thierry van Werveke in the initial two films.^[11] Van Werveke's performance and ongoing collaboration with Bausch formed a core element of the trilogy's appeal, elevating both to national prominence through their portrayal of flawed, quotable antiheroes.^[13] Troublemaker (1988) introduces two pathetic gangsters—one Luxembourgish and one German—pursuing their version of the American dream amid trials and tribulations in southern Luxembourg.^[11] Back in Trouble (1997) continues directly as a sequel, reuniting the same lead actors to extend Johnny Chicago's chaotic exploits.^[14] Trouble No More (2010) concludes the trilogy following van Werveke's death in 2009, shifting to a more somber tone as it follows Johnny Chicago's brother Ray and his friend Chuck Moreno, petty criminals handling Johnny's ashes in a final effort to honor their late companion.^[15] The film serves as a poignant farewell to the central character and actor, maintaining the series' blend of humor, crime, and Luxembourg-specific settings while providing closure to the iconic troublemaker's saga.^[16] The trilogy overall highlights Bausch's distinctive style of blending local culture with comedic crime narratives, cementing its place in Luxembourgish film heritage.^[11]

Other feature films

After establishing his reputation in Luxembourg cinema, Andy Bausch directed several standalone feature films that continued his blend of humor and social observation. ^{[12] [1]} His 1989 release A Wopbobaloobop a Lopbamboom starred Thierry Van Werveke and depicted a former prisoner named Rocco who leaves jail on 31 December 1962 intending to emigrate to America, only for a fatal stabbing on New Year's Eve in Dudelange to derail his plans. ^[12] In 1991, Bausch directed Ex und hopp – Ein böses Spiel um Liebe, Geld und Bier, another narrative feature that further explored his characteristic mix of comedy and intrigue. ^[1] Bausch returned to social themes with The Unemployment Club (Le Club des Chômeurs) in 2001, a comedy in which five unemployed steelworkers in southern Luxembourg form a club committed to never returning to work. ^[12] The film achieved significant domestic popularity in Luxembourg. ^[1] In 2006, he directed Deepfrozen, a feature filmed in Luxembourg starring Peter Lohmeyer, Lale Yavaş, Thierry van Werveke, and Marco Lorenzini, which premiered locally on 7 September 2006. ^[17] Bausch's later work included D'Belle Epoque (2012), a period piece depicting the impact of the German invasion on a young Luxembourg woman and her family in August 1914, ^[18] and Rusty Boys (2017), a comedy-drama about four elderly men who reject life in a retirement home and opt to share a house, provided they can secure the necessary funds, featuring actors such as André Jung, Marco Lorenzini, and Myriam Muller. ^{[19] [12]} The film received a release in Luxembourg on 25 January 2017 and in Germany the following year. ^[19] These projects, primarily Luxembourg productions with Bausch serving as director and screenwriter, often incorporated local settings and recurring collaborators while addressing topics like economic hardship, aging, and personal reinvention. ^{[12] [1]}

Documentaries and later projects

In the later stages of his career, Andy Bausch shifted toward documentary filmmaking, emphasizing Luxembourg's historical, social, and cultural heritage through nostalgic retrospectives and biographical portraits. ^[1] This period includes contributions to international projects and standalone works that draw on archival material, interviews, and personal testimonies to explore pivotal eras in the country's past. ^[1] His involvement in the 2004 anthology Visions of Europe featured the Luxembourg segment "The Language School," part of a collection of short films by European directors examining aspects of the continent's identity. ^[20] In 2008, Bausch directed Inthierryview, a biographical documentary chronicling the life and career of Luxembourgish actor Thierry Van Werveke through accounts from Van Werveke himself and those who collaborated with him. ^[21] The project was undertaken while Van Werveke was already seriously ill and was released shortly before his death in 2009. ^[21] Bausch's 2010 documentary Chocolate Chewing Gum and Brown Babies presents a series of comprehensive, amusing, and touching interviews with Luxembourgers and American veterans, shedding light on their interconnected experiences in the post-war era. ^[22] The following year, The Fifties in Luxembourg offered a candid nostalgic retrospective of the 1950s in the country, structured across five chapters. ^[23] This focus on Luxembourg heritage continued with Sixty8 in 2017, a documentary that examines the late 1960s and early 1970s through archival footage, historical photographs, a period soundtrack, and testimonies from 25 individuals, highlighting hippies, student strikes, challenges to traditional values, and the beginnings of feminism, while referencing international events like May 1968 but prioritizing local developments such as the 1971 school demonstrations in Diekirch. ^[24] Bausch expressed hope that younger viewers would recognize how many rights and freedoms they take for granted were hard-won even in a small nation like Luxembourg. ^[24] In 2019, Lost in the 80s portrayed the Grand Duchy's social, political, and cultural landscape during the 1980s, incorporating archival footage and interviews with figures including former Prime Minister Jacques Santer, alongside color scenes featuring actors André Jung and Luc Schiltz as a fictional buddy-cop duo to counterbalance the serious tone of topics like the shift from steel to finance economy, the solidarity tax for ARBED, banking secrecy, the Banco Ambrosiano scandal, and the Bommeleeër attacks. ^{[25] [26]} These documentaries and projects underscore Bausch's ongoing commitment to preserving and reflecting on Luxembourg's collective memory. ^[1]

Recognition

Awards and nominations

Andy Bausch has received several awards and nominations for his contributions to cinema, particularly in directing feature films and documentaries. He gained early international recognition in 1989 by winning the Best New Director award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival for his film A Wopbobaloobop a Lopbamboom. ^{[27] [28]} The award, officially the Premio Banco de Vitoria para Nuevos Realizadores, was presented ex-aequo with Felipe Vega for El mejor de los tiempos. ^[28] In 1991, Bausch won the Promotional Award at the San Sebastián International Film Festival for his television movie Ex und hopp - Ein böses Spiel um Liebe, Geld und Bier. ^[27] Bausch earned further acclaim in Luxembourg in 2009 at the Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis, where he received the Public's Prize (Prix du Public) for his documentary InThierryView and the Best Documentary award for Entrée d'artistes. ^[29] His later film Rusty Boys garnered nominations including Best Luxembourg Feature Film at the Luxembourg Film Award in 2018, along with the German Independence Award - Audience Award at the Oldenburg Film Festival and the Jury Prize for Best Feature Film at the Liverpool International Film Festival. ^[27] Bausch's work has resulted in a total of 5 wins and 8 nominations across various festivals and award bodies. ^[27]

Personal life