LUX Prize 2011: 10 films in competition unveiled

This weekend the European Parliament unveiled the 10 films pre-selected to compete for this year's LUX Prize, during the 46th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF). The films, produced in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK, all reflect the excellence and richness of European cinema.

This year's competitors were unveiled by MEP Olga Sehnalová, deputy artistic director of the KVIFF Eva Zaoralová and the director Feo Aladag and leading actress Sibel Kekillis of the 2010 LUX Prize winner "Die Fremde".

The films in competition for the 2011 LUX Prize are (in alphabetical order):

• A torinói ló (The Turin Horse) by Béla Tarr (Hungary, France, Switzerland, Germany)

• Attenberg by Athina Rachel Tsangari (Greece)

• Essential Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski (Poland, Norway, Ireland, Hungary)

• Habemus Papam by Nanni Moretti (Italy, France)

• Le Havre by Aki Kaurismäki (Finland, France, Germany)

• Les neiges du Kilimandjaro (The Snows of Kilimanjaro) by Robert Guédiguian (France)

• Morgen by Marian Crisan (France, Romania, Hungary)

• Mistérios de Lisboa (Mysteries of Lisbon) by Raúl Ruiz (Portugal)

• Pina by Wim Wenders (Germany, France, UK)

• Play by Ruben Östlund (Sweden, France, Denmark)

They were chosen by a panel, appointed by the EP’s Culture Committee and including producers, distributors, exhibitors, festival directors, film critics and the previous year's winner.

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LUX Prize embodies EP commitment to culture, cinema

The LUX Prize was established in 2007 as a tangible symbol of the Parliament’s commitment to European cinema and its creative endeavours. It is awarded annually based on voting by MEPs.

The films cover a range of issues - individual, historical and social - but they all look into the lives of Europeans, their convictions and doubts, their quest for identity. Previous winners were "Auf der anderen Seite" in 2007, "Le silence de Lorna" in 2008 and "Welcome" in 2009.

The winner will receive financial support from the Parliament to subtitle the film into the 23 European Union official languages, including an adaptation for visually or hearing-impaired people and to produce a 35 mm print or a digital cinema package for each member state.