During its plenary session on 23 November, the European Parliament awarded the Lux Prize to the German, Austrian and Romanian film coproduction, “Toni Erdmann”. The other two films shortlisted were “As I open my eyes” by Leyla Bouzid and “My life as a courgette” by Claude Barras.
The President of the European Parliament, Martin Schulz, explained that the winning film, “describes the difficult, tender and sometimes absurd relationship between a young woman living as an expatriate and her father. It poignantly describes how family relationships change and affect us in an ageing and competitive society”.
The Lux Prize is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year and is awarded to the film that best represents European cinema. It offers the three finalists financial support for translation and subtitling costs in 24 official EU languages. The winning film will also be adapted for the visually and hearing impaired and receive support for international promotion.
The three films on the shortlist for the LUX Prize will be screened in the 28 European Union countries during the LUX Film Days event, from September to December. Culture and Education Committee chairperson Silvia Costa (S&D, IT) said "Our commitment for the future is to foster the Prize, bringing the finalist films even outside Europe, starting from the Mediterranean countries". (Original version in French by Sophie Petitjean)