Filippos Tsitos, director of Akadimia Platonos, explains: “Everybody agrees that the European Union is a good idea. The disagreements begin when one has to decide: WHO has the right to enter the Union and who hasn’t; WHO has the right to remain in the Union and who hasn’t; WHO is going to get help from the Union and who isn’t; WHICH members of the Union should have more privileges than others. Discrimination hangs around these decisions. Tolerance is the beginning of the solution. And how an individual can tolerate his very own self is the subject of Akadimia Platonos. Winning the LUX Prize would be a recognition that the film deserves - but I will be honest:in these very difficult times for arthouse movie-making and the much harder times Greece is experiencing, all help is welcome!
Making small, independent, non-English speaking movies nowadays can be compared to swimming in a wild ocean at night. You constantly feel like you are about to drown. Therefore, you are thankful for anything that helps you stay out of the water.”

For Feo Aladag, director of Die Fremde, “We live in a multicultural society, which can no longer simply promote consensus but must find new ways to get around increasing divergence. That will only happen with ongoing dialogue and allowing ourselves to be being guided by our similarities rather than by our differences. My belief is that a harmonious co-existence is possible if we, in the name of empathy, grow beyond the shadows of our principles and convictions. This theme is universal, as it affects all of us, whether it is people who love one another, or people who share a society, a country or a planet and who are therefore a community.
We would like to address our very special thanks  to the European Parliament for the promotion of European Films in order to make them cross borders and travel around Europe through the LUX Prize, to reach a widespread audience and to promote diversity, solidarity and hope in our societies.”

 

Olivier Masset-Depasse, director of Illégal said: “The LUX Prize is, for me, a wonderful initiative encouraging the circulation of films on a European scale. What is

a film that cannot be seen? Because of this it is clear that the prize is a real opportunity for Illégal because I think that what I show in this film can be widely applied in many European countries. I hope to create as wide a debate as possible across Europe. The LUX Prize would be an excellent starting point as wide a dissemination of this film as possible.”

L’Auberge Veneziano - The three competing films will be screened in the Venice Days’ premises on 10 and 11 September in the presence of the film directors.

In addition, the LUX Prize, Venice Days and Europa Cinemas have formed a partnership to invite 27 young cinephiles to Venice – one from each of the member states of the European Union. They will attend the whole festival and deliver their opinions on the different films  from their individual perspectives, whilst taking part in debates with Members of the European Parliament and film professionals.

For Giorgio Gosetti, director of the Venice Days,  “this initiative gathers together young cinephiles and filmmakers in Venice for the sole  purpose of rediscovering the pleasures of film festivals as the privileged place to discover cinema!”

For Fatima Djoumer from Europa Cinemas, “We, at Europa Cinemas are delighted to have been able to make this exciting initiative a reality. One of our key aims is to foster initiatives aimed at encouraging  younger audiences to develop their interest in European films and cultural diversity. The  process of choosing these 27 young cinephiles through our Cinema network is a very effective way of establishing a direct link between the young audience from around Europe and a key  film Festival such as Venice, and encouraging a direct communication between film-makers and their audience.”

The European Parliament is committed to culture The LUX Prize was established in 2007 as a tangible symbol of the European Parliament’s commitment to the European film industry and its creative endeavours. Since then, the European Parliament LUX Prize has cast an annual  spotlight on films which go to the very heart of the European public debate. Beyond the  stories they tell, these films trigger questions for Europeans: the values they share or put into question, the project of building Europe, the way they address cross-border concerns -immigration, justice, solidarity, public freedoms or fundamental rights, for example. No matter which social issue it illustrates, each film serves as a glimpse of Europeans, their  lives, their convictions and doubts - their quest for identity.

As with previous winners — Auf der anderen Seite (2007), Le silence de Lorna (2008) and Welcome (2009) — the 2010 LUX Prize winning film will benefit from the financial support of the European Parliament making possible the subtitling of the film into all the 23 official languages of the European Union (EU), an adaptation of the original version for the visually-or-hearing-impaired, and the production of a 35 mm print per EU member state.

 

 

Akadimia Plato nos (Plato ’s Academy)
Director: Filippos Tsitos Country(ies): Greece, Germany
Year : 2009
Running Time : 103’
Original languages : Greek, Albanian
Every day Stavros raises the metal shutters of  his cigarette store, puts out the newspapers in front and then sets out the chairs where he and his friends sit all day, looking out on the dusty intersection and surrounding grey buildings that shelter their businesses. They’re all very proud of the way their dog Patriot, on the opposite pavement, barks at every passing Albanian. Stavros and his friends don’t like these foreigners even if they’re willing to do the jobs the Greeks won’t do, nor do they like the recently arrived Chinese. By the store’s entrance, Stavros’ increasingly senile mother mopes in an armchair, regardless of the affectionate care lavished on her by her devoted son. Then one day she suddenly falls upon an Albanian worker, embracing him and calling him «my son» in Albanian. In fact, what does Stavros really know about his parents? His mother has always told him that after his father died up north, she moved to Athens, when he was but a year old. Now Stavros’ pals start looking askance at him: is he Greek or Albanian? Does he really have the right to sing the racist little ditty: «Albanian, Albanian, you’ll never become a Greek…».

Die Fremde (When We Leave )
Director : Feo Aladag
Country : Germany
Year : 2009
Running Time : 119’
Original language : German, Turkish
What would you sacrifice for your family’s love? Your values? Your freedom? Your independence? German-born Umay flees her oppressive marriage in Istanbul, taking her young son Cem with her. She is hoping to find a better life with her family in Berlin, but her unexpected arrival creates intense conflict. Her family is trapped in their conventions, torn between their love for her and the values of their community. Ultimately they decide to return Cem to his father in Turkey. To keep her son, Umay is forced to move again. She finds the inner strength to build a new life for her and Cem, but her need  for her family’s love drives her to a series of ill-fated attempts at reconciliation. What Umay doesn’t realize is just how deep the wounds have gone and how dangerous her struggle for self- determination has become.

 

Akadimia Platonos, Die Fremde and Illégal will be shown in the Brussels-based European Parliament’s premises from 26 October to 19 November. Members of the European Parliament will vote for the winning film and the 2010 LUX Prize will be awarded on 24 November by the President of the European Parliament at its headquarters in Strasbourg.

The Three contending films are part of the LUX Prize 2010 Official Selection The three contending films have been chosen by the same panel who had previously
determined the LUX Prize 2010 Official Selection.
Akadimia Platonos - Filippos Tsitos
Bibliothèque Pascal - Szabolcs Hajdu,
Die Fremde - Feo Aladag,
Illégal - Olivier Masset-Depasse,
Indigène d’Eurasie - Sharunas Bartas,
Io sono l’amore - Luca Guadagnino,
La bocca del lupo - Pietro Marcello,
Lourdes - Jessica Hausner
Medalia de onoare - Calin Peter Netzer,
R - Tobias Lindholm and Michael Noer,

CONTACTS
epfilmprizelux@europarl.europa.eu
www.lux-prize.eu