Europe’s finest vie for top prize

Lux nominees revealed in Karlovy Vary

by Richard Mowe

Cannes grand prix winner 120 Beats Per Minute in selection for the European 
 Parliament’s Lux Prize
Cannes grand prix winner 120 Beats Per Minute in selection for the European Parliament’s Lux Prize Photo: Courtesy of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
With the aim of ensuring European films receives as wide a showing as possible in cinemas all over the continent, the organisers of the 11th edition of the Lux Prize revealed the nominees for this year’s accolade at the 52nd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

The official selection includes the much admired Cannes Competition entry and grand prix winner 120 Beats Per Minute by Robin Campillo from France; Amanda Kernell's indigenous drama Sámi Blood; and migrant story The Other Side of Hope, by Finland’s Aki Kaurismaki.

The Prize is bestowed every year by the European Parliament to cast “a spotlight on the diversity of European cinema and its importance in building social and cultural values”.

The selection was unveiled last night (July 2) in the elegant surrounds of the Belle Epoque restaurant at the Grand Hotel Pupp by Member of the European Parliament Helga Trüpel; vice-chair of the Committee on Budgetary Control Martina Dlabajova; member of the Committee on Culture and Education Bogdan Wenta and Lux Prize coordinator Doris Pack.

The film from the 2016 LUX Prize Competition that received the Audience Mention, the highest number of votes from audiences across Europe, was also announced as Toni Erdmann by Maren Ade.

From the ten films in the Official Selection, three entries will be selected and announced at the Venice Days press conference in Rome at the end of July. These titles will compete to be the winner of the 2017 Lux Prize, awarded on 15 November in Strasbourg.

They will also form part of the 2017 Lux Film Days, which will see them screened across all 28 European Union countries by the end of the year.

The complete list of nominees:

A Ciambra - Jonas Carpignano (Italy/Brazil/United States/France/Germany/Sweden)

  • 120 Beats Per Minute - Robin Campillo (France)
  • Glory - Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria/Greece)
  • Heartstone - Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Iceland/Denmark)
  • King Of The Belgians - Peter Brosens, Jessica Woodworth (Belgium/Netherlands/Bulgaria)
  • Sámi Blood - Amanda Kernell (Sweden/Denmark/Norway)
  • Summer 1993 - Carla Simón (Spain)
  • The Last Family - Jan P Matuszyński (Poland)
  • The Other Side Of Hope - Aki Kaurismäki (Finland/Germany)
  • Western - Valeska Grisebach (Germany/Bulgaria/Austria)
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