23/07/2013 - Miele, The Broken Circle Breakdown and The Selfish Giant will compete for the LUX Prize 2013 as announced today during the press conference of the Venice Days

The Vice President of the European Parliament Mr Gianni Pittella and Member of the Committee on Culture and “Creative Europe” Rapporteur, Mrs Silvia Costa, announced today during the press conference of the Venice Days (Giornate degli Autori) the 3 contending films to run for the LUX Prize Competition 2013. Directors will attend the upcoming Venice Film Festival to screen the 3 finalists:

Miele (Honey) by Valeria Golino – France, Italy (2013)

The Broken Circle Breakdown by Felix Van Groeningen – Belgium (2012)

The Selfish Giant by Clio Barnard – United Kingdom (2013)

For the 4^th year as partner of the Venice Days (Giornate degli Autori), the LUX Prize of the European Parliament is honoured to announce at its press conference 3 movies that will travel from Venice to all the 28 Member States for the second edition of the LUX FILM DAYS.

The 3 films touch diversified themes with different approaches. Among the 3 titles, 2 have been directed by female directors which is a premiere in the competition.

 

 

For the second time, an Italian director is running for the LUX Prize Award: Valeria Golino with her feature directorial debut Miele. The film already screened in Italy and will deeply touch the audience of other European countries for its sensitive approach to a very delicate issue, which nourishes challenging debates all over Europe: how to alleviate others’ pain even when they take fatal decisions.

It is also the first time a British film has been included in the shortlisted LUX films: Cannes Directors’ Fortnight revelation Clio Barnard with her touching masterpiece, The Selfish Giant. Not yet released in Italy, this contemporary fable about 14-year-old Arbor and his best friend Swifty is a social realistic drama that confirms Barnard as one of the most promising young UK filmmaker.

Winner of the Berlinale Audience Award, the intense Belgian drama The Broken Circle Breakdown by Felix Van Groeningen depicts an intense love story and family happiness, suddenly harmed by tragic events: it’s the pleasure and the suffering of being alive and the incessant questioning of values that drive our hearts.

This eclectic mix of socially realistic stories, music melodrama and moral questioning will not fail to deeply move European audience and to stimulate debates.

In its 7th edition, the LUX Prize reflects the European Parliament's initiative to support cultural and linguistic diversity and the belief that it can serve as a bridge among Europeans. It becomes a source of inspiration for discussions about Europe, its values, contradictions, and its future.

 

28 Times Cinema and LUX FILM DAYS

To welcome Croatia, who officially became a member of the EU on the 1^st of July, the 4th edition of “27 Times Cinema”, promoted by the LUX Prize of the European Parliament with Venice Days, Europa Cinemas and in collaboration with Cineuropa, changes its name to 28 Times Cinema.

Together with a Croatian cinema aficionado, Cineuropa and the LUX Prize will welcome these young cinema enthusiasts, aged 18 to 25 years, from all over of the EU. They will experience the Venice Film Festival taking part in the screenings, debates and workshops organized with directors, film critics, professionals and Members of the European Parliament.

The 3 films announced today, subtitled in the 24 official EU languages, will be screened in the 28 Member States during the second edition of the LUX FILM DAYS, as last year, from mid-October to December. This allows the European Parliament and its LUX Prize to invite the largest number of Europeans possible to discover the diversity and richness of European cinema and to debate the topics raised by the films.

Members of the European Parliament will vote for one of the 3 films in Competition. On December 11th the LUX Prize winner will be officially awarded during a formal sitting of the European Parliament in Strasbourg in presence of the filmmakers.

And moreover, the public will have its say: a Public Mention from audience participating in the LUX FILM DAYS will be organized and the reward will be an invitation to the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2014. 

In addition to providing the subtitles and a Digital Copy (DCP) of the 3 films of the LUX FILM DAYS, the winning film of the LUX Prize will benefit from the adaptation of at least the original language(s) for the hearing and visually impaired and supported with tailored promotion in the Member States during the national releases. 

The previous LUX Prize winners have been Io sono Li by Andrea Segre (2012), Les Neiges du Kilimandjaro by Robert Guédiguian (2011), Die Fremde by Feo Aladag (2010), Welcome by Philippe Lioret (2009), Le silence de Lorna by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne (2008) and Auf der anderen Seite by Fatih Akin (2007).