05/06/2025 - A panel of professionals from the European film industry will gather on 9-10 June to select the nominees for the 2026 iteration of the pan-European award

Following another successful edition of the world’s largest audience award – a joint effort by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in collaboration with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas – which saw Flow [+see also:
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After attending the Cannes Film Festival in May, where the LUX Audience Award hosted a high-level panel discussion at the Marché du Film under the title “Invest in What Matters: Support to European Film and Audiovisual Sectors in the Next Long-term Budget of the European Union (MFF)”, focusing on the crucial role of EU support for the European film and audiovisual sectors (watch the full conference here), the European Parliament has just confirmed the list of members who will form the official selection panel for the upcoming edition. As in previous years, the committee will bring together a diverse range of European film professionals – including directors, producers, exhibitors, sales agents and programmers, among others – to select the five titles that will vie for the 2026 LUX Audience Award.

For this edition, the selection panel will be composed of 13 members, who will gather in Brussels on 9-10 June to evaluate all eligible titles. Once again, Mike Downey OBE, chairman of the European Film Academy, will serve as honorary president. The Irish filmmaker and producer will be joined by Spain’s Oscar Alonso, head of Distribution at Lazona Pictures; the Czech Republic’s Šárka Cimbalová, a film producer and member of the European Film Academy; Italy’s Maurizio Braucci, a writer and director; the Netherlands’ Vanessa Hennemann, an agent and casting director; Ukraine’s Denis Ivanov, a producer and distributor, and founder and head of Arthouse Traffic; Slovenia’s Danijel Hocevar, a producer, teacher and European Film Academy board member; Poland’s Izabela Igel, founder of production outfit Harine Films; Ireland’s Charles McDonald, film PR specialist and consultant; Bulgaria’s Jacqueline Wagenstein, distributor and publisher for Colibri Books and founder of the Cinelibri International Film Festival; and Romania’s Amitabh Vardhan, CEO of Cine Grand Group. Rounding off the panel will be two members from the first edition of the Young Talent Programme: Cathelijne Sara Maria Debets, from Mimik Theatre (Netherlands); and Janeta Henzele, from Kino Bize (Latvia). As is customary, Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and director of the European Film Academy, and Fatima Djoumer, CEO of Europa Cinemas, will join the meeting as observers.

In the coming months, the participants in the second edition of the Young Talent Programme will also be announced. Launched in 2024, this exciting initiative brings together 27 young film enthusiasts and professionals from across the EU – one from each member state – to represent the LUX Audience Award. These young professionals will act as ambassadors for the prize, engaging with audiences at both national and European levels, supporting filmmakers in promoting and discussing the issues tackled by the nominated films, and helping strengthen the links between cinema, audiences and European policies.

The five final nominees for the 2026 LUX Audience Award will be revealed during the official announcement at the European Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg on 7-8 October. This will mark the launch of the official competition, inviting audiences across Europe to watch and rate their favourite films among the selected titles.

All relevant information will be available on the official LUX Audience Award website.