Lux Prize

Infobox award
name = Lux Prize for European Cinema


imagesize = 210
caption = 2007 logo. The trophy is inspired by-, and the underlying concept of the award is the Tower of Babel. [ [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/background_page/037-10869-274-10-40-906-20070927BKG10868-01-10-2007-2007-false/default_p001c009_en.htm European Parliament - News - Press service - Background - LUX Prize: The European Parliament is committed to culture ] ] [ [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/event_by_type_page/43-2007-10/default_en.htm European Parliament - News - Press service - All this week's events ] ]
description = Excellence in illustrating the universality of European values and the diversity of European culture
presenter = European Parliament
country = EU and EFTA members
year = 2007
website =

The Lux Prize for European Cinema, introduced in 2007, is a prize given to a competing film by the European Parliament. It is named after the unit of illuminance "lux", Latin word for the light. The objective of the Lux Prize is to illuminate the public debate on European integration and to facilitate the diffusion of European films in the European Union. [ [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/luxprize/default_en.htm European Parliament News, October 1, 2007] ]

election criteria

Films to be selected have to meet following criteria:
* Fiction or documentary films (may be animated)
* Minimum length of 60 minutes
* Produced or co-produced in a European Union country or in Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway or Switzerland
* Illustrates the universality of European values and the diversity of European culture, bringing insights into the debate on the process of building Europe
* Released for the first time between May 1 of the previous year and June 1 of the current year.

election panel

For the first edition of the prize, three films were shortlisted by a 17-member panel composed mainly of people working in the cinematic professions who were appointed by the European Parliament's Culture and Education Committee. Each film is shown nine times within the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium, in a 90-seat cinema room specially conceived and built for this purpose.

Panel members were: [ [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/background_page/037-10869-274-10-40-906-20070927BKG10868-01-10-2007-2007-false/default_p001c003_en.htm European Parliament News, Lux Prize Panel and Selection] ]
* Ivo Andrle, Czech Republic, Cinema operator and film distributor.
* György Báron, Hungary, Film critic.
* Kirsten Lykke Dalgaard, Denmark, Director of a cinema and a distribution company. President of the international Natfilm Festival.
* Michel Demopoulos, Greece, Special fiction adviser for the public television channels ERT. Former director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival.
* Fatima Djoumer, France, Head of International Affairs for Europa Cinémas.
* Waldemar Dabrowski, Poland, Former Culture Minister.
* Mercedes Echerer, Austria, Director of the EUXXL Film Festival.
* Enrique Gonzales Kuhn, Spain, In charge of acquisitions at a distribution company and cinema operator.
* Roman Gutek, Poland, Distributor and cinema operator.
* Dany Habran, Belgium, Head of Programmes at two cinemas.
* Susanne Hoffmann, Germany, Secretary-General of International Public Television and Director of the Prix Europa.
* Tony Jones, United Kingdom, Director of the Cambridge Film Festival and cinema operator.
* Stefan Kitanov, Bulgaria, Director of the Sofia Film Festival and producer.
* Rui Pereira, Portugal, Director of the Indielisboa Film Festival.
* Georgette Ranucci, Italy, Cinema operator and representative for the Cannes Festival in Rome and Milan. Head of Public Relations at a distribution company.
* Yvon Thiec, France, General Director of a cinema.

The jury

Only the 785 Members of the European Parliament, who have seen all three films during the screenings or extra muros, are entitled to vote. Voting takes place electronically via the intranet site at the Parliament. The film which gains the highest number of votes is the winner.

The prize

The Lux Prize consists of assistance in kind in the form of subtitling and video-to-film transfer (kinescopage) of the winning film in the 23 official EU languages (including the film's original language, for the deaf and hard of hearing). In the case that the winning film has already been sold for projection in cinemas in some countries and subtitled for the purpose, the nature of the prize (e.g. assistance with production of the DVD) will be determined by agreement between the European Parliament and the film's appointed representatives. The trophy forming the Lux Prize's visual identity is created by the Belgian artist Jocelyne Coster and inspired by a representation of the Tower of Babel, the symbol also used by the European Parliament to indicate multilingualism and cultural diversity united in a single place and with a single goal. [ [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/background_page/037-10869-274-10-40-906-20070927BKG10868-01-10-2007-2007-false/default_p001c009_en.htm European Parliament News, Visual ıdentity] ] The trophy is presented in the plenary in Strasbourg, France to the laureate by the Parliament President in front of the MEPs, and representatives from the other films in competition.

Award winners

Other candidates

ee also

*European Border Breakers Award
*European Film Awards

External links

* [http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/expert/infopress_page/037-12155-295-10-43-906-20071023IPR12109-22-10-2007-2007-false/default_en.htm European Parliament News, October 24, 2007]

References