Women’s rights, climate change, colonialism, harassment in school and the war in Ukraine are the topics covered by the three fiction and two documentary films that were nominated for the LUX Audience Film Award 2025, by the European Parliament.
“Animal” by Greek director Sofia Exarchou, “Dahomey” by French director Mati Diop, “Flow” by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis, “Intercepted” by Ukrainian-Canadian director Oksana Karpovych and “Julie Keeps Quiet” by Belgian director Leonardo van Dijl are shortlisted by the European Parliament for the LUX Audience Fİlm Award 2025.
“European cinema reflects the challenges and hopes of our society. This year’s finalists, each in their distinct form, showcase the rich variety of the film world”, said European Parliament vice-president Sabine Verheyen, a German MEP from the center-right EPP, when presenting the shortlist, during a press conference.
“They pen up important conversations and invite us to see the world through diverse lenses,” she added, pointing out the philosophy of this award created in cooperation with the European Film Academy.
The nominees:
- “Animal” is a fictional look at the unseen side of the tourist entertainment industry through the daily lives and routines of the people that work in an all-inclusive island resort during high season.
- “Dahomey” is a documentary about the return of 26 royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey, nearly 130 years after they were stolen by French colonial troops, to the Republic of Benin.
- “Flow” is an animated feature about a hero, a Cat, who finds refuge on a boat with other animals, set in a post-apocalyptic setting of mystical flooded landscapes.
- “Intercepted” is a documentary about the Russian invasion of Ukraine using intercepted phone conversations between Russian soldiers and their families and friends in Russia, gathered by Ukrainian intelligence services.
- “Julie Keeps Quiet” is a drama about a star tennis player who decides to keep quiet when her coach falls under investigation for abusing his position and is suddenly suspended.
Screenings, debates and votes
The organizers want to “strengthen ties between politics and citizens”, by inviting the European audiences to attend film screenings, followed by debates, and then to cast a vote in an online platform, from 18 September until April 2025.
Votes from the audience and from a selected group of EU’s lawmakers will determine the winner, to be unveiled in a ceremony, in April 2025, in the European Parliament, in Brussels, in the presence of the representatives of the finalist films.
“The Teachers’ Lounge”, by German director Ilker Çatak won the 2024 edition, tells the story of a teacher tasked with finding out which of her students is responsible for a series of thefts.
Created in 2020, this award is now complemented by the Young Talent Programme, launched this year, “to engage young cinema professionals in the promotion of European values and the LUX Audience Film Award project”, according to the organizers.
