Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), 1st Vice Chair of the EP and Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), Chair of the CULT Committee, present the 5 nominees for the LUX Audience Award 2025. The LUX Audience Award is presented every year by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas. The award celebrates European cinema and it aims to engage and debate with the larger European public on important societal subjects reflecting our common European values such as democracy, rule of law, pluralism and freedom of expression.

Strasbourg

press conference

VERHEYEN, Sabine (EPP, DE)

RIEHL, Nela (Greens/EFA, DE)

LUX European Audience Film Award 2025 (T)

Announcement of films nominated for the 2025 LUX Film Award, Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), 1st Vice Chair of the EP and Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), Chair of the CULT Committee

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), Ladies and gentlemen, first I just want to make some general introductions before Nela Riehl as the new chair of the committee pronounces the names of the films. First of all, let me please express my happiness that I can continue to work with the Lux Award. As Vice-President of the European Parliament, as I did it now for many years as member of the CULT Committee. So I am very happy to continue with this work because I think it's a very important prize.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), I am assuming this duty with a lot of enthusiasm, responsibility and the wish to make this award even more popular in reaching out to a broader public throughout the European Union. It is a pleasure to launch the new edition of the Lux Audience Awards here in Strasbourg, which is the first time we do it here in this format. Announcing the films running for the award at this press conference. For almost 15 years, by presenting the works of talented European filmmakers, the Lux Audience Award sheds light over the politics and policies of the European Union.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), This amazing award at the heart of the European Parliament is indeed the proof that when the political will is present, the European Parliament can reach the hearts and the minds of European citizens through powerful projects like the Lux Audience Award. Because this is a way also to promote the European fundamental ideas and principles in another way than just communicating about politics in a very dry way we do normally. The award is a strong vector for communication throughout images and narratives, bringing European audiences even closer.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), The nominated films raise awareness about current social and political issues and engage audiences in debates about Europe in a thought provoking way by reflecting our European cultural diversity. During last year's edition, the Lux Award reached a 70,000 strong audience, in about 717 screenings and debates, and some 22,500 ratings were recounted. And what's not in there are the normal commercial views of the movie. So it's a much broader reach in the end. It is also important to notice that around 1000 cinemas and hundreds of Lux stakeholders engaged in the Use Your Vote communication campaign for the European elections in 2024.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), So it shows how we can also work hand in hand and bring people to take part in the European project. Before passing the floor to my colleague and new CULT committee chair, Nela Riehl, I would also like to salute the participants of the Young Talents Programme. The European Parliament, together with Europa Cinemas, bring together 27 young professionals working at cinemas theatres in the EU Member States for a week of enriching training programme during this Parliament plenary session week.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Sabine VERHEYEN (EPP, DE), I hope that these young professionals will become convinced ambassadors of the Lux Audience Award and that we get a chance to make this award even more broadly known and raise the awareness on this prize. And I really beg you too that you do your job in this. We need your support in promoting the prize and to get more people vote for their favourites. Thank you very much and good luck as well for all of them who will be launched later.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), Thank you, dear Journalists. Dear Guest. The Committee on Education and Culture, which I chair, has always been a firm support of European creative crafts and of the LUX Audience Awards project. Filmmaking is one of the greatest forms of artistic expression, capable of representing the complexity of the human condition. We also firmly believe that the LUX Audience Award is also a powerful tool for communicating complex issues to a large public. What's more, it has the power to translate policies of the EU debated at the European Parliament and bring them closer to our citizens.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), Cinema is a wonderful, powerful and transformative form of art and social communication. It tears down walls and narrows great distances, uniting people from different cultural backgrounds around the same human hopes and also desires. The five finalists of the LUX Audience Award are a great example of this transformative art, as these films mirror our society. And now allow me to present the five finalists of the 2025 Edition of the LUX Audience Award to you.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), First of all, it's Animal by director Sophia Exarchou. It's a co-production between five EU countries such as Greece, Cyprus, Austria, Romania and Bulgaria, supported by Creative Europe Media. The film addresses the issues of labour conditions, data conditions and intergenerational solidarity.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), Secondly Dahomey by Mati Diop who unfortunately cannot be here with us today. It's a co-production between France and Senegal and Benin, which was awarded the Golden Bear of Berlinale. The film tackles the sensitive issue of the restitution of looted pieces of art to the countries of origin.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), And then we have Flow directed by Gints Zibalodis a coproduction between Latvia, Belgium and France. It is an animated film telling us a passionate story of a climate refugee, in this case a cat, which is fighting for its way in a complex environment.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), Intercepted by director Oksana Karpovych is a documentary co-production between Canada, France and Ukraine. The film depicts the cruelty of war in Ukraine and the human drama behind. The producer of the film, Mrs. Pauline Tran Van Lieu is with us today on behalf of Director Oksana Karpovych, who unfortunately couldn't be here with us.

SOUNDBITE (Original), Nela RIEHL (Greens/EFA, DE), Julie Keeps Quiet is a Belgo-Swedish drama directed by Leonardo Van Dijl. I hope it pronounce it right. The film tackles the very important topic of gender equality, women's rights and mental health. The directors are here to answer your questions today.