21/06/2011

The LUX Prize 2011 Selection Panel will meet on June 23 in Brussels to choose the ten films for the LUX Prize 2011 Official Selection, which reflects the excellence of European cinema, the richness and diversity of the European cultural landscape and topics of European concern.

The Official Selection will be unveiled on July 3 at the 46th Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

The 16 members of the LUX Prize 2011 Selection Panel, appointed by the Committee on Culture and Education of the European Parliament and renewed for one third each year, are key figures of European cinema:

Feo Aladag, director, scriptwriter and producer of 2010 LUX Prize Winner When We Leave [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Feo Aladag
interview: Feo Aladag
film profile]
Jose Luis Cienfuegos, managing director, Gijon Film Festival
Christophe Leparc, secretary-general, Directors' Fortnight
Per Ericsson, Education and Teaching, Swedish Film Institute
Eva Zaoralova, film critic and artistic consultant at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Gyorgy Báron, president, Hungarian Film Critics’ Association
Catherine Buresi, co-director, Berlinale's European Film Market
Marion Döring, managing director, European Film Academy
Kristen Dalgaard, distributor and co-president of the NatFilm International Film Festival
Stephan De Potter, distributor, Cinéart
Michel Demopoulos, film critic
Fatima Djoumer, head of International Relations, Europa Cinéma
Jakub Duszynski, distributor, Gutek Film
Nick James, editor, Sight & Sound
Georgette Ranucci, exhibitor and distributor (Lucky Red)
Mira Staleva, programmer, Sofia International Film Festival

Aviva Silver (European Commission, MEDIA Programme and Media Literacy) and Roberto Olla (Council of Europe, Eurimages) will act as observers and Yvon Thiec (Eurocinema) will be an honorary member.

The Selection Panel has already convened on March 24 and April 14 2011 in the European Parliament to discuss and exchange views on the films proposed. The decision process is based on consensus.

The ten films of the LUX Prize 2011 Official Selection will then be further whittled down to three, which will compete for the prize and be screened in Parliament during October and November. The LUX Prize 2011 Award Ceremony is scheduled for November 16.

For the European Parliament, the LUX Prize is a way of breaking down the language barriers that hinder the circulation of films throughout Europe. Therefore, the winning film will benefit from financial support, which will include subtitling in the EU's 23 official languages (including the adaptation of the original version for visually or hearing-impaired people) and producing one 35mm version or a digital print per EU member state or supporting the DVD release.