09/04/2025 - The winner of the world’s largest audience award will be unveiled during a ceremony held at the European Parliament in Brussels on 29 April

The countdown has officially started for one of the most highly anticipated events in European film: the 2025 LUX Audience Award Ceremony, which will take place on 29 April in the Hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels, where the new laureate of the prestigious pan-European award will be revealed.

A joint initiative of the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in collaboration with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas, the LUX Audience Award has evolved over the years to become the world’s largest audience prize, showcasing the unique power of film to spark discussion on important social and political issues across borders.

Once again, this year’s finalists vividly reflect the cultural diversity and high artistic quality of European cinema: Animal [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sofia Exarchou
film profile] by Sofia Exarchou (Greece/Austria/Romania/Cyprus/Bulgaria), Dahomey [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Mati Diop (France/Senegal/Benin), Flow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Gints Zilbalodis
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] by Gints Zilbalodis (Latvia/France/Belgium), Intercepted [+see also:
film review
film profile] by Oksana Karpovych (Canada/France/Ukraine) and Julie Keeps Quiet [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Leonardo van Dijl
film profile] by Leonardo van Dijl (Belgium/Sweden).

Since the unveiling of the five shortlisted films back in September during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg (see the news), these European co-productions have travelled across the member states through an extensive series of free screenings organised by the European Parliament, as well as enjoying commercial screenings in cinemas and on VoD platforms. During this time, European audiences and Members of the European Parliament have had the opportunity to rate the films through a dedicated online platform, which has already received thousands of submissions. At the end, the highest-rated title will be crowned the winner, with public and MEP votes carrying equal weight in the decision, making the outcome a true reflection of shared European sentiment.

The rating period remains open until 27 April, and members of the public participating in the process stand a chance to win an array of exciting rewards, including a visit to the European Parliament to attend the LUX Award Ceremony and meet the filmmakers in Brussels.

The ceremony will begin at 18:00 CET and will bring together MEPs, representatives of the nominated films and cinephiles. It will feature speeches by European Parliament President Roberta Metsola, Vice-President Sabine Verheyen (responsible for the LUX Audience Award) and Nela Riehl, Chair of the Committee on Culture and Education, who will announce the winner. As usual, the ceremony will be live-streamed on the European Parliament’s official website and will be followed by a press conference with members of the film crews.

More information, including a link to register to attend the ceremony in person, can be found on the official LUX Audience Award website.