LUKA

In the distant future, a battle-ready young soldier joins a legendary outpost on the northern front, where men wait in vain for an enemy attack from the north.

Inspired by DINO BUZZATI’S “Il Deserto dei Tartari”, this is an epic tale of suspended lives; Fortress tells how the power of friendship can transcend and subvert even the most glorious of illusions.

Jessica Woodworth is a Belgian-American fiction film director and screenwriter based in Belgium. She is known for Khadak (2006), Altiplano (2009), La cinquième saison (2012), King of the Belgians (2016) and The Barefoot Emperor (2019), made with Belgian filmmaker Peter Brosens. These films were screened in over 350 festivals including Venice, Cannes, Toronto, Sundance and won over 70 awards including the Lion of the Future in Venice for Khadak. Her new film LUKA (2023) premieres at the Big Screen Competition at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Jessica grew up between Europe and the US. She graduated in literature from Princeton University and has a Masters in documentary film from Stanford University. In 2005 she established the production company Bo Films with Peter Brosens in Belgium. She is often a mentor for film students, has been a guest professor at KASK in Ghent, and has been on juries and given workshops to students and directors worldwide.

Director of Photography - Virginie Surdej

Production Design - Sabina Christova

Sound - Stefano Campus

Costumes - Eka Bichinashvili

Makeup and Hair - Marly Van De Wardt

Editor - David Verdurme

Composer - Teho Teardo

Sound Design & Mix - Marc Lizier

Line Producers - Maarten D'Hollander, Federico Saraceni