DESCRIPTION

The LUX Prize aims to support the cultural and linguistic diversity of European cinema and promote film circulation. In November, the Members of the European Parliament selects the winning film - among three finalists - to be subtitled in the 23 official European languages on as many different prints. Announced in Venice, the 2009 finalists are Eastern Plays by Kamen Kalev, Sturm by Hans-Christian Schmid and Welcome by Philippe Lioret.
In this video Cineuropa interviewed Eastern Plays’ director Kamen Kalev, Storm’s producer Britta Knöllerand, Welcome’s co-writer Emmanuel Courcol and Doris Pack, President of the EP Cultural Commission, who explains the reasons of the Lux Prize. Created in 2007, the prize was previously awarded to Fatih Akin’s The Edge of Heaven and Lorna’s Silence by the Dardenne brothers. Both these films highlight Europe’s multiculturalism and the political and social challenges posed by this diversity.