15-06-2009

EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT FILM PRIZE: OFFICIAL SELECTION OF THE LUX PRIZE 2009

    Brussels, Friday 12 June 2009 - Through the partnership it has sealed this year with the

    Brussels European Film Festival, the European Parliament today unveils the Official

    Selection of its film prize - The LUX Prize.

    Ten films are in the Official Selection, but only three will compete for the LUX Prize 2009.

    They will be disclosed during the Venice International Film Festival in September.

    The three competing films will be shown at the European Parliament from 2 to 20 November.

    A vote will be cast by the 736 Members of the European Parliament to elect the winner, which will then be awarded the LUX Prize

    2009 at the European Parliament on 25 November in Strasbourg.

    European cinema is rich. Its wealth is multidimensional: diversity, talents and a long history

    which sheds light on the melting pot of our individual and collective identities.

    Since 2007, the LUX Prize is a true symbol of the support brought by the European Parliament

    to the European film industry and its great, relentless creativity.

    The aim of the LUX Prize is to spotlight the wealth and the diversity that characterize

    European cinema by selecting films which deal, in different ways, with European issues -

    especially what makes us think, divides us or brings us closer to each other.

    Supporting Cultural and Linguistic Diversity. Encouraging the Circulation of European Films

    «Being able to see other producers' films is a real problem in Europe. The LUX Prize is a first step

    to solving it. I hope that everyone involved in distributing and screening movies throughout

    Europe will grasp the significance of this.». [Luc Dardenne, winner, with his brother Jean-

    Pierre, of the LUX Prize 2008 , for «Le Silence de Lorna» ]

    For the European Parliament, the LUX Prize is a way to break down the language barriers

    that prevent films from circulating in Europe. Much like «Auf der Anderen Seite» (2007) or

    «Le Silence de Lorna» (2008), the LUX Prize 2009 winning film will benefit from the financial

    support of the European Parliament:

    • subtitling in the EU's 23 official languages, including the adaptation of the original

    version for visually- or hearing-impaired people;

    • producing, per member state, a 35 mm version or supporting the DVD release.

    LUX Prize 2009 Official Selection

    In 2009 again, the LUX Prize Official Selection spotlights ten films. These films have been

    selected because of their quality and their contribution to the European public debate,

    highlighting topics such as solidarity, immigration, justice, public freedom or fundamental

    rights. Beyond the social issues it illustrates, every film becomes a window which opens up

    on Europeans, their questions, their daily lives and their quest for identity.

    http://www.lux-prize.eu/

    The Ten Films in the 2009 Official Selection

    http://www.lux-prize.eu/

    35 RHUMS

    Director: Claire Denis

    Country: France, Germany

    Year: 2008

    Original language: French

    LOST PERSONS AREA

    Director: Caroline Strubbe

    Country: Belgium, Hungary,

    Netherlands, Germany, France

    Year: 2009

    Original language: English,

    Dutch, Hungarian

    ANDER

    Director: Roberto Castón

    Country: Spain

    Year: 2009

    Original language: Basque,

    Spanish

    NORTH

    Director: Rune Denstad Langlo

    Country: Norway

    Year: 2009

    Original language: Norwegian

    EASTERN PLAYS

    Director: Kamen Kalev

    Country: Bulgaria, Sweden

    Year: 2009

    Original language: Bulgarian,

    Turkish, English

    PANDORA'S BOX

    Director: Yesim Ustaoglu

    Country: Turkey, France,

    Germany, Belgium

    Year: 2008

    Original language: Turkish

    FÜR EIN AUGENBLICK

    FREIHEIT

    Director: Arash T. Riahi

    Country: Austria, France

    Year: 2008

    Original language: Turkish,

    English, Persian/Farsi

    STURM

    Director: Hans-Christian Schmid

    Country: Germany, Denmark,

    Netherlands

    Year: 2009

    Original language: English,

    German, Bosnian, Serbian

    KATALIN VARGA

    Director: Peter Strickland

    Country: Romania, UK, Hungary

    Year: 2009

    Original language: Hungarian,

    Romanian

    WELCOME

    Director: Philippe Lioret

    Country: France

    Year: 2009

    Original language: French,

    Kurdish, English

    LUX 0 9

    .

    Selection process

    Every year, a jury determines the Official Selection for the LUX Prize. This panel includes:

    producers, distributors, exhibitors, festival directors or film critics. One third of the selection

    jury is renewed yearly, and its members are appointed by the European Parliament's

    Committee on Culture and Education. The jury includes the previous LUX Prize winner. The

    European Commission sits on this jury as an observer (MEDIA programme).

    To be eligible to be part of the LUX Prize Official Selection, films must meet the following

    requirements:

    • Fiction or animation films;
    • Minimum running time of 60 minutes;
    • Illustrating or questioning the founding values of our European identity, Europe's cultural

    diversity and/or bringing insights into the debate on the EU integration process;

    • Produced or co-produced in countries eligible under the MEDIA 2007 programme

    (European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland);

    • First theatre release between 1 June 2008 and 31 May 2009.

    LUX Prize 2009: Important Dates and Events

    • 28 June - 5 July: Daily LUX Sessions at the Brussels European Film Festival

    (5 p.m., Studio 4, Flagey)

    • 6 September: Announcing films in competition at the Venice International

    Film Festival

    • 3 November: Opening evening ceremony
    • 2-20 November: Screening of competing films at the European Parliament

    in Brussels

    • 24 November: Last day for the Members of the European Parliament

    to vote

    • 25 November: Awarding the LUX Prize 2009 at the European Parliament

    in Strasbourg

    Contact: Bertrand PELTIER: Tel. +32 498 98 32 37

    E-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    Press Kit: http://www.lux-prize.eu/

    http://www.lux-prize.eu/

    LUX 0 9

    Annex

    2009 Selection Panel Members

    http://www.lux-prize.eu/

    Mr György BÁRON, Hungary

    Film critic

    Mr Anthony BOBEAU, France

    Journalist, Le Film Français

    Mrs Sonora BROKA, Latvia

    Director and programmer, International

    Centre for Cinema

    Mrs Kirsten DALGAARD, Denmark

    Co-president of the Natfilm International

    Film Festival; exhibitor and distributor

    Mr Stephan DE POTTER, Belgium

    Distributor, Cinéart-Cinélibre

    Mr Michel DEMOPOULOS, Greece

    Special advisor for fiction at ERT, public

    television

    Mrs Fatima DJOUMER, European Union

    Administrator for International relations

    and events, Europa Cinéma

    Mr Michal DROBNY, Slovakia

    Exhibitor and distributor, Continental

    Films

    Mr Jakub DUSZYŃSKI, Poland

    Distributor, Gutek Films

    Mrs Mercedes ECHERER, Austria

    Director, Krems European Film Festival

    (EU XXL Film)

    Mr Denis FREYD, winner of the LUX

    Prize 2008 ("Le silence de Lorna")

    Producer, Archipel 35

    Mrs Eve GABEREAU, United Kingdom

    Co-managing director, Soda Pictures

    (distribution)

    Mrs Susanne HOFFMANN, Germany

    General Secretary, Europa Prize

    Mrs Georgette RANUCCI, Italy

    Exhibitor and distributor, Lucky Red

    Mrs Mira STALEVA, Bulgaria

    Programmer, Sofia International Film

    Festival

    Mr Yvon THIEC, European Union

    Delegate-General, Eurocinema

    Mrs Nuria VIDAL, Spain

    Film critic

    Mrs Helena BRAUN, Observer

    European Commission, MEDIA

    Programme and Education to Media Unit

    Further Information and press kit:

    Charles McDonald

    Office: + 44 207 736 3445

    Mobile: + 44 7785 246 377

    This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

    http://www.charlesmcdonald.co.uk/