2019 LFP Catalogue Webfile PDF
2019 LFP Catalogue Webfile PDF
2019 LFP Catalogue Webfile PDF
FILM
PRIZE
2019CATALOGUE
@luxprize
#luxprize
LUX
PRIZE
.EU
LUX
FILM
PRIZE
2019
ISBN 978-92-846-5348-5
DOI 10.2861/762859
7 Foreword
8 LUX Film Prize
9 LUX Film Days
10 Filmography
2017
2015
2013
2019
2014
2012
21 KONA FER Í STRÍÐ 42 À PEINE J’OUVRE LES YEUX 62 BANDE DE FILLES 82 CSAK A SZÉL
2018
2008
2011
ATTENBERG DELTA
PLAY OBČAN HAVEL
93 A TORINÓI LÓ 99 IL RESTO DELLA NOTTE
ESSENTIAL KILLING REVANCHE
HABEMUS PAPAM SÜGISBALL
LE HAVRE S VETAT E GOLYAM I SPASENIE DEBNE OTVSYAKADE
MISTÉRIOS DE LISBOA SZTUCZKI
MORGEN TO VERDENER
PINA WOLKE 9
2010
2007
AKADIMIA PLATONOS 4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE
ILLÉGAL BELLE TOUJOURS
95 BIBLIOTHÈQUE PASCAL 101 CALIFORNIA DREAMIN’ [NESFARSIT]
INDIGÈNE D’EURASIE DAS FRÄULEIN
IO SONO L’AMORE EXILE FAMILY MOVIE
LA BOCCA DEL LUPO IMPORT/EXPORT
LOURDES ISZKA UTAZÁSA
MEDALIA DE ONOARE PLOSHCHA
R KURZ DAVOR IST ES PASSIERT
96 WELCOME
2009
EASTERN PLAYS
STURM
97 35 RHUMS
ANDER
EIN AUGENBLICK FREIHEIT
KATALIN VARGA
LOST PERSONS AREA
NORD
PANDORA’NIN KUTUSU
FOREWORD
...UNLOCKING DIALOGUE
12 years ago, the LUX FILM PRIZE began to explore new ways of crossing borders, overcoming barriers and
building bridges between people from different cultural and national backgrounds. Cinema, as a cultural
mass medium, harnesses the emotional power of film to bring together the diversity of Europe and evokes
the multifaceted, ever-changing nature of our European identity.
Culture and film, as a cultural mass medium, are keys to unlocking dialogue between communities and
overcoming these barriers. They are ideal tools to address stereotypes and prejudices, pave the way for
intercultural dialogue and respond to the challenges facing our societies.
With the LUX FILM PRIZE catalogue, we want to invite you to discover more than 100 important, poignant
masterpieces that will take you on a journey through Europe and beyond. Look at your neighbour through the
lens of emerging or already well-established directors.
Use films to touch the hearts of European citizens and talk about the importance of being united in our diversity.
See Europe in a different light.
7
LUX FILM PRIZE
Most European films are only shown in the country where they were made and are rarely distributed across
borders. The contrast is even bigger when we see that more than 60% of films released are European, but these
are only watched by one third of the cinema audience.
In this context, the European Parliament created the LUX FILM PRIZE in 2007. It has enhanced both the
distribution of quality European films and the European debate.
The 10 films in the LUX FILM PRIZE Official Selection unveiled at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival are the showcase
of European cinema. In particular, the selection of the 3 final films in the LUX FILM PRIZE Competition, announced
at the Venice Days, is closely followed by the film industry. Their distribution is facilitated by Parliament´s support
with subtitling in the 24 official languages and the DCP [Digital Cinema Package] production per country.
Moreover, the LUX FILM PRIZE winner is also adapted for the visually and hearing impaired, thus enlarging its
audience and market potential.
The LUX FILM PRIZE films are also disseminated via the field of education. Partners from different areas take
advantage of the high quality film catalogue and also of the educational kits that are produced in all the Official
EU languages for each competing film since 2012.
The LUX FILM PRIZE filmography offers a wide variety of high quality films that echo the European Parliament´s
agenda at legislative level. These films portraying life in Europe are a powerful communication tool to address
the concerns of citizens from an array of angles, be it human, passionate, expert, realistic or political.
8
LUX FILM DAYS
The LUX FILM DAYS are a unique cultural experience which transcends borders. From October until
December, the LUX FILM DAYS create a temporary European Public Space in which European cinema lovers
can watch and share 3 remarkable films, in the 28 Member States and in the 24 official European languages.
The screenings usually take place in cooperation with film festivals, cinematheques and theatres. They are
also often national previews. The three competing films are screened more than 220 times across Europe,
accompanied by educational kits in the corresponding languages.
Herein lies the uniqueness of the European Parliament’s initiative. The LUX FILM DAYS is an experience
that can be shared across Europe no matter the language spoken. It creates a platform for belonging to a
European public space, by discussing the same topic in the same place and at the same time.
As part of the wider reflection, the audience is invited to express and share their views with other
Europeans and to vote for their favourite film on luxprize.eu or on LUX FILM PRIZE Facebook page, awarding
an AUDIENCE MENTION.
9
FILMOGRAPHY
19-12
COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2019
COLD CASE HAMMARSKJÖLD
2019
GOSPOD
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2019
GOSPOD POSTOI, IMETO I’E PETRUNIJA
POSTOI,
IMETO I’E
PETRUNIJA
GOD EXISTS, HER NAME
IS PETRUNYA
2019
Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish
person willing to go in order to hold on to power?
COMMITTEES CONT, JURI, REGI
KLER
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2019
KLER
CLERGY
pace and push all characters to the very limit. Not be-fore long, the stories of the three priests
reunite once again, and the events taking place will affect the lives of everyone involved.
I DOULEIA TIS
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2019
I DOULEIA TIS
HER JOB
Panayiota, a 37 year old illiterate housewife, leads a quiet life with her husband and their
children in a modest neighbourhood in Athens, Greece. To cope with the recession that has
been affecting her family for some time, Panayiota for the first time in her life finds a job as
15
a cleaner in a shopping mall. Despite the ruthlessness of her work-environment, Panayiota
breaks free from domestic monotony and gradually gains the respect she never had from
2019
her family. When a series of layoffs starts, she will have to face again her personal dead
ends. But Panayiota cannot be the same anymore.
MEDENA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2019
MEDENA ZEMJA
ZEMJA
HONEYLAND
COUNTRY France
ORIGINAL VERSION French
COMMITTEES EMPL, FEMM, IMCO
After a municipal decision, a shelter for homeless women, ‘l’Envol’, is about to close.
With only three months to reintegrate the women they care for, the social workers do
everything they can: pulling-strings, bending the truth, and even outright lies... From
now on, everything goes!
17
2019
RAY & LIZ
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2019
RAY & LIZ
RAY & LIZ
On the outskirts of Birmingham and the margins of society, the Billingham family
perform extreme rituals and break social taboos as they muddle through a life decided
by factors beyond their control. At times shocking and laced with an unsettling humour,
three episodes unfold as a powerful evocation of the experience of growing up in a Black
18
Country council flat.
2019
SYSTEMSPRENGER
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2019
SYSTEMSPRENGER
SYSTEM CRASHER
COUNTRY Germany
ORIGINAL VERSION German
COMMITTEES LIBE, JURI, EMPL, She is small, but dangerous. Wherever Benni ends up, she is immediately expelled. The wild
FEMM, ENVI 9 year old girl has already become what child protection services call a “system crasher”.
And she is certainly not looking to change her ways. Because Benni has one single goal: to
be back at home with her mommy! But Bianca is scared of her own daughter. Mrs. Bafané
from child protection services is trying her best to find a permanent placement for Benni.
She hires the anger management trainer Micha as Benni’s school escort and suddenly
there is a seed of hope. Will Micha be able to succeed where all others despaired? While
being acutely authentic, first-time director Nora Fingscheidt transcends a psychological 19
study and crafts vibrant, visceral and emotional cinema, which evokes unforgettable
2019
performances.
TCHELOVEK,
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2019
TCHELOVEK, KOTORIJ UDIVIL VSEKH
KOTORIJ
UDIVIL VSEKH
THE MAN WHO SURPRISED
EVERYONE
Í STRÍÐ
WOMAN AT WAR
Bulgarian, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Government and the corporation building a new aluminium smelter in the mountains.
Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, But, just as she begins planning her biggest and boldest operation yet, she receives an
French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Irish, unexpected letter that changes everything. Her application to adopt a child has finally been
21
Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Maltese, accepted and there is a little girl waiting for her in Ukraine. As Halla prepares to abandon her
Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, role as saboteur and saviour of the Highlands to fulfil her dream of becoming a mother, she
2018
Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish decides to plot one final attack to deal the aluminium industry a crippling blow.
COMMITTEE ENVI, ITRE, FEMM
DRUGA
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2018
DRUGA STRANA SVEGA
STRANA
SVEGA
THE OTHER SIDE
OF EVERYTHING
2018
for help - legally, she is not obliged to do any more. But when her calls are left unanswered, and then
rejected on spurious grounds, she decides to overcome her fear and try to rescue whoever she can.
DONBASS
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2018
DONBASS
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2018
EL SILENCIO
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2018
EL SILENCIO DE LOS OTROS
DE LOS
OTROS
THE SILENCE OF OTHERS
The Silence of Others reveals the urgent and ongoing struggle of victims of Spain’s 40-year
dictatorship under General Franco, who continue to seek justice to this day. Filmed over six
years, the film follows victims and survivors as they organize the groundbreaking “Argentine
25
Lawsuit” and fight a state-imposed amnesia of crimes against humanity, in a country still
divided four decades into democracy.
2018
GIRL
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2018
GIRL
26
2018
GRÄNS
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2018
GRÄNS
BORDER
Customs officer Tina is known for her extraordinary sense of smell. It’s almost as if she can
sniff out the guilt on anyone hiding something. But when Vore, a suspicious-looking man,
walks past her, her abilities are challenged for the first time ever. Tina can sense Vore is
hiding something she can’t identify. Even worse, she feels a strange attraction to him. As
Tina develops a special bond with Vore and discovers his true identity, she also realizes the 27
truth about herself. Tina, like Vore, does not belong to this world. Her entire existence has
2018
been one big lie and now she has to choose: keep living the lie or embrace Vore’s terrifying
revelations.
LAZZARO
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2018
LAZZARO FELICE
FELICE
HAPPY AS LAZZARO
COUNTRY Poland
ORIGINAL VERSION Polish
COMMITTEE CULT, LIBE, REGI
Jacek loves heavy metal, his girlfriend and his dog. His family, his small hometown, his
fellow parishioners all see him as an amusing freak. Jacek works at the construction site
of what it is supposed to become the tallest statue of Jesus in the world. When a severe
29
accident disfigures him completely, all eyes turn to him as he undergoes the first facial
transplant in the country.
2018
UTØYA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2018
UTØYA 22. JULI
22. JULI
U – JULY 22
On 22 July 2011 more than 500 youths at a political summer camp on an island outside
COUNTRY Norway
Oslo were attacked by an armed, right-wing extremist. Earlier that day he bombed a
ORIGINAL VERSION Norwegian
Government building in Oslo, before making his way to Utøya island. In this first fictional
COMMITTEE DROI, SEDE, LIBE, CULT
movie about the attack we get to know Kaja (18) and her friends. The movie starts when the
youngsters, shocked by the bombing in Oslo, are reassuring their relatives that they are far
away from the incident. Suddenly, the safe atmosphere is shattered when shots are heard.
30
We then follow Kaja as she tries to survive – minute by minute.
2018
SAMEBLOD
OFFICIAL SELECTION WINNER 2017
SAMEBLOD
SAMI BLOOD
31
2017
120
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2017
120 BATTEMENTS PAR MINUTE
BATTEMENTS
PAR MINUTE
BPM (Beats Per Minute)
COUNTRY France
ORIGINAL VERSION French
Paris, the early 1990s: a group of young activists is desperately tied to finding the cure
SUBTITLES AND EDUCATIONAL KIT
against an unknown lethal disease. They target the pharmaceutical labs that are retaining
Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish, German,
potential cures, and multiply direct actions, with the hope of saving their lives as well as
32 Estonian, Greek, English, Irish, Croatian,
the ones of future generations.
Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Hungarian,
2017
2017
A CIAMBRA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
A CIAMBRA
prove he’s ready to step into his big brother’s shoes but soon finds himself faced with an
impossible decision that will show if he is truly ready to become a man.
ESTIU 1993
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
ESTIU 1993
SUMMER 1993
COUNTRIES Spain
ORIGINAL VERSION Catalan
COMMITTEE ENVI, CULT, LIBE, FEMM
Carla Simón has granted us access to a decisive moment in her own life. In a difficult,
painful and unique episode that would change her life forever, at just six years old she
found herself orphaned and struggling to find her place in an adoptive family while still
trying to come to terms with the loss of her biological one. The film explores this time with
great sensitivity, and is peppered with details that send us right back to childhood, with
35
all of its anxieties and unexpected twists: a time in our lives that is never all happiness,
laughter and fun.
2017
HJARTASTEINN
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
HJARTASTEINN
HEARTSTONE
It is a personal story, based on the director’s own experiences as a young boy growing up
in such a village – “A place full of contrast, where the sun shines for the longest time in the
country over the summer and the shortest time over the winter; a place where young kids
come to know animals, and often discover how nature and people can be both amazingly
beautiful and incredibly cruel,” Gudmundsson observed. “As a kid and a teenager, I used
to wish that I could show the grown-ups around me how our world really was. Now, as a
filmmaker, I want to do that – portray youth in a truthful way, as these years reflect our lives
36
in a very clear, beautiful and sometimes harsh manner.”
2017
KING OF THE
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
KING OF THE BELGIANS
BELGIANS
DIRECTORS Peter Brosens, Jessica
Woodworth
DURATION 94’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2017
SCREENPLAY Peter Brosens, Jessica
Woodworth
CAST Peter Van Den Begin, Lucie Debay,
Goran Radaković, Nathalie Laroche, Titus
De Voogdt, Valentin Ganev
CINEMATOGRAPHY Ton Peters
PRODUCERS Peter Brosens, Jessica
Woodworth
PRODUCTION Bo Films, Entre Chien et
Loup, Topkapi
Films, Art Fest, VAF, Screen Flanders and
the CCA
SALES AGENT Be for Films
King Nicolas III is a lonely soul who has the distinct feeling he’s living the wrong life. He
embarks on a state visit to Istanbul with a British filmmaker, Duncan Lloyd, who has been
commissioned by the Palace to shoot a documentary intended to polish the monarch’s
37
rather dull image. The news breaks that Wallonia, Belgium’s southern half, has declared
its independence. The King, bursting with purpose, must return home at once to save his
2017
kingdom.
OSTATNIA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
OSTATNIA RODZINA
RODZINA
THE LAST FAMILY
COUNTRY Poland
ORIGINAL VERSION Polish
COMMITTEE CULT
Born in 1929, Zdzisław Beksiński, a Polish surrealist painter, is a cult artist who portrayed
decaying bodies and fantasized of hard core sexual experiences. Known for his keen sense
of humor, he is also scared of spiders and tending to his sick mother. His neurotic, suicidal
son, Tomasz, is a cult radio DJ and translator, responsible for the Polish versions of Monty
Python films. His wife, Zofia Beksińska, a devoted Catholic, endures these two eccentrics
and glues the family together. As the parents try to prevent their son from hurting himself,
38
their lives are defined by painting, a series of near-death experiences, funerals and
changing trends in dance music.
2017
SLAVA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
SLAVA
GLORY
When Tsanko Petrov, a railroad worker, finds millions of lev on the train tracks, he decides
to turn the entire amount over to the police. Grateful, the state rewards him with a new
wristwatch…, which soon stops working. Meanwhile, Julia Staikova, the head of PR for the
39
Ministry of Transport, loses his old watch. Here starts Petrov’s desperate struggle to get
back not only his old watch, but his dignity.
2017
TOIVON
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2017
TOIVON TUOLLA PUOLEN
TUOLLA
PUOLEN
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE
ERDMANN
DIRECTOR Maren Ade
DURATION 162’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2016
SCREENPLAY Maren Ade
CAST Sandra Hüller, Peter Simonischek,
Lucy Russell, Trystan Wyn Pütter,
Hadewych Minis, Vlad Ivanov,
John Keogh
CINEMATOGRAPHY Patrick Orth
PRODUCER Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach,
Janine Jackowski
PRODUCTION Komplizen Film, Coop99
Filmproduktion, Hi Film Productions
SALES AGENT The Match Factory
2016
her eccentric father might deserve some place in her life after all.
MA VIE DE
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2016
MA VIE DE COURGETTE
COURGETTE
MY LIFE AS A COURGETTE
J’OUVRE LES
YEUX
AS I OPEN MY EYES
2016
Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish
COMMITTEE AFET, DROI, CULT, LIBE,
FEMM
A SYRIAN
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2016
A SYRIAN LOVE STORY
LOVE STORY
DIRECTOR Sean McAllister
DURATION 90’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2015
CAST Amer Daoud, Raghda Hasan
CINEMATOGRAPHY Sean McAllister
PRODUCER Sean McAllister,
Elhum Shakerifar
PRODUCTION Tenfoot Films
Comrades and lovers Amer and Raghda met in a Syrian prison cell 15 years ago. When
McAllister first meets their family in 2009, Raghda is back in prison leaving Amer to look
after their 4 boys alone; but as the ‘Arab Spring’ sweeps the region, the family’s fate shifts
irrevocably. Filmed over 5 years, the film charts their incredible odyssey to political freedom.
44 For Raghda and Amer, it is a journey of hope, dreams and despair: for the revolution, their
homeland and each other.
2016
CARTAS DA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2016
CARTAS DA GUERRA
GUERRA
LETTERS FROM WAR
COUNTRY Portugal
ORIGINAL VERSION Portuguese
COMMITTEE AFET, DROI, DEVE
1971. António Lobo Antunes life is brutally interrupted when he is drafted into the
Portuguese Army to serve as a doctor in one of the worst zones of the Colonial War – the
East of Angola. Away from everything dear he writes letters to his wife while he is immersed
in an increasingly violent setting. While he moves between several military posts he falls
in love for Africa and matures politically. At his side, an entire generation struggles and
45
despairs for the return home. In the uncertainty of war events, only the letters can make
him survive.
2016
KRIGEN
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2016
KRIGEN
A WAR
COUNTRY Denmark
ORIGINAL VERSION Danish
COMMITTEE AFET, DROI, SEDE, LIBE
Company commander Claus Michael Pedersen (Pilou Asbæk) and his men are stationed
in Helmand, Afghanistan. Meanwhile back in Denmark, with a husband at war and
three children missing their father, everyday life is a struggle for Claus’ wife Maria (Tuva
Novotny). During a routine mission, the soldiers are caught in heavy Taliban crossfire. In
order to save his men, Claus makes a decision that ultimately sees him return to Denmark
accused of a war crime.
46
2016
L’AVENIR
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2016
L’AVENIR
THINGS TO COME
Nathalie teaches philosophy at a high school in Paris. She is passionate about her job and
particularly enjoys passing on the pleasure of thinking. Married with two children, she
divides her time between her family, former students and her very possessive mother. One
47
day, Nathalie’s husband announces he is leaving her for another woman. With freedom
thrust upon her, Nathalie must reinvent her life.
2016
LA PAZZA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2016
LA PAZZA GIOIA
GIOIA
LIKE CRAZY
Three days after the terrorist attack on the offices of Parisian weekly Charlie Hebdo and
forty days after the death of his father, Lary, a doctor in his forties is about to spend the
Saturday at a family gathering to commemorate the deceased.
But the occasion does not go according to expectations.
Forced to confront his fears and his past, to rethink the place he holds within the family,
49
Lary finds himself constraint to tell his version of the truth.
2016
SUNTAN
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2016
SUNTAN
COUNTRY Greece
ORIGINAL VERSION Greek
COMMITTEE TRAN, ENVI, LIBE
Kostis is a 40-year-old doctor that finds himself in the small island of Antiparos, in order to
take over the local clinic. His whole life and routine will turn upside down when he meets
an international group of young and beautiful tourists and he falls in love with Anna, a
19-year-old goddess.
50
2016
MUSTANG
OFFICIAL SELECTION WINNER 2015
MUSTANG
2015
MEDITERRANEA
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2015
MEDITERRANEA
2015
45 YEARS
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2015
45 YEARS
There is just one week until Kate Mercer’s 45th wedding anniversary and the planning for
the party is going well. But then a letter arrives for her husband. The body of his first love
54 has been discovered, frozen and preserved in the icy glaciers of the Swiss Alps. By the time
the party is upon them, five days later, there may not be a marriage left to celebrate.
2015
A PERFECT DAY
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2015
A PERFECT DAY
COUNTRY Spain
ORIGINAL VERSION Spanish, English
COMMITTEE DEVE, DROI, REGI, AFET
A group of aid workers tries to remove a cadaver from a well in an armed conflict zone. The
body was thrown into the well to contaminate the water and cut the water supply to the local
population. But circumstances soon turn a simple task into an impossible mission. The workers
cross the frenzied war landscape like guinea pigs in a maze, and there might be no way out. A 55
war inside another war, in which the only enemy could be irrationality. The crisis they’re trying
2015
to solve is humanitarian, but they’re only human. Humour, drama, tenderness, routine, danger,
hope: it all fits into a perfect day. This film’s only genre is life itself. Like a Russian doll, it’s a drama
inside a comedy, inside a road movie, inside a war movie.
HRÚTAR
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2015
HRÚTAR
RAMS
In a secluded valley in Iceland, Gummi and Kiddi live side by side, tending to their sheep.
Their ancestral sheep-stock is considered one of the country’s best and the two brothers
are repeatedly awarded for their prized rams who carry an ancient lineage. Although
they share the land and a way of life, Gummi and Kiddi have not spoken to each other
in four decades. When a lethal disease suddenly infects Kiddi’s sheep, the entire valley
comes under threat. The authorities decide to cull all the animals in the area to contain
the outbreak. This is a near death sentence for the farmers, whose sheep are their main
source of income, and many abandon their land. But Gummi and Kiddi don’t give up so
easily – and each brother tries to stave off the disaster in his own fashion: Kiddi by using
56
his rifle and Gummi by using his wits. As the authorities close in the brothers will need to
come together to save the special breed passed down for generations, and themselves,
2015
from extinction.
LA LOI
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2015
LA LOI DU MARCHÉ
DU MARCHÉ
THE MEASURE OF A MAN
COUNTRY France
ORIGINAL VERSION French
COMMITTEE EMPL, ECON, IMCO
The film closely follows Thierry, a 51 year-old crane driver who has been out of work for
nearly two years. If nothing changes, he will soon be left with an income of just 500 euros
a month with which to support his family and ensure the future of his disabled son. His
desperate need of work leads to “humiliating” episodes in which he tries to make a good
impression and make himself look as accommodating as possible: a fruitless appointment
57
at the Job Centre, a job interview via Skype (“I’m going to be honest with you. There’s
very little chance of you being hired”), a discussion with his bank manager (“taking out
2015
life insurance would allow you to face the future more calmly”), simulated recruitment
exercises in which his flaws (posture, politeness, expression, the power of his voice and
the rhythm of his speech) are closely scrutinised by people who are unemployed like him.
SAUL FIA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2015
SAUL FIA
SON OF SAUL
COUNTRY Hungary
ORIGINAL VERSION Hungarian
COMMITTEE LIBE, CULT
the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish, and offer the boy a proper burial.
TOTO SI
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2015
TOTO SI SURORILE LUI
SURORILE LUI
TOTO AND HIS SISTERS
2015
ZVIZDAN
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2015
ZVIZDAN
THE HIGH SUN
60 Three different love stories, set in three consecutive decades, in two neighbouring Balkan
villages burdened with a long history of inter-ethnic hatred: this is a film about the dangers
2015
COUNTRY Poland
ORIGINAL VERSION Polish
SUBTITLES AND EDUCATIONAL KIT
Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish,
German, Estonian, Greek, English,
French, Irish, Croatian, Italian, Latvian,
Lithuanian, Hungarian, Maltese,
Dutch, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak,
Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish
COMMITTEE CULT
Poland 1962. Anna is a novice, an orphan brought up by nuns in the convent. She has to see
Wanda, her only living relative, before she takes her vows. Wanda tells Anna that Anna is
Jewish. Both women start a journey not only to find their family´s tragic story, but who they
really are and where they belong. They question their religions and ideas they believed in.
Both are trying to go on living but only one of them can.
61
2014
BANDE
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2014
BANDE DE FILLES
DE FILLES
GIRLHOOD
COUNTRY France
ORIGINAL VERSION French
SUBTITLES AND EDUCATIONAL KIT
Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish,
German, Estonian, Greek, English, Irish,
Croatian, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian,
Hungarian, Maltese, Dutch, Polish,
Oppressed by her family setting, dead-end school prospects and the boys’ law in the Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak,
neighborhood, Marieme starts a new life after meeting a group of three free-spirited girls. Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish
She changes her name, her dress code, and quits school to be accepted in the gang, hoping COMMITTEE EMPL, CULT, FEMM
that this will be a way to freedom.
62
2014
RAZREDNI
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2014
RAZREDNI SOVRAŽNIK
SOVRAŽNIK
CLASS ENEMY
COUNTRY Slovenia
ORIGINAL VERSION Slovenian
Due to a huge difference in the way they perceive life, the relationship between the
SUBTITLES AND EDUCATIONAL KIT
students and their new German language teacher becomes critically tense. When one of
Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish,
the students commits suicide, her classmates accuse the teacher of being responsible for
German, Estonian, Greek, English,
her death. The realisation that things are not so black and white comes too late.
French, Irish, Croatian, Italian, Latvian,
Lithuanian, Hungarian, Maltese, Dutch,
Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak,
Finnish, Swedish
COMMITTEE CULT
63
2014
FEHÉR ISTEN
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014
FEHÉR ISTEN
WHITE GOD
JUVENTUD
BEAUTIFUL YOUTH
COUNTRY Spain
ORIGINAL VERSION Spanish, German
COMMITTEE EMPL, FEMM
Natalia and Carlos, both aged 20, are in love and struggling to survive in today’s Spain.
Their limited resources prevent them from getting ahead as they’d like to. They have no
great ambitions because they have no great hopes, to earn some money; they decide to
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shoot an amateur porno film. The birth of their daughter Julia is the main catalyst for the
changes they make.
2014
KREUZWEG
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014
KREUZWEG
STATIONS OF THE CROSS
COUNTRY Germany
ORIGINAL VERSION German, French, Latin
COMMITTEE CULT
Maria finds herself caught between two worlds. At school this 14-year-old girl has all the
typical teenage interests, but when she’s at home with her family, she follows the teachings
of the Society of St. Pius XII and their traditionalist interpretation of Catholicism. Everything
that Maria thinks and does must be examined before God. And since the Lord is a strict
shepherd, she lives in constant fear of committing some misconduct. Whilst Maria’s
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mother takes a tough line in compelling her daughter to stay on the path of righteousness,
her father is often reticent and stands back during critical moments. Conflicts intensify
2014
as arguments erupt with teachers and doctors. Desperate to please everyone, Maria soon
finds herself trapped in the crossfire.
LE MERAVIGLIE
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014
LE MERAVIGLIE
THE WONDERS
Nothing will be the same at the end of this summer for Gelsomina and her three younger
sisters. She is the designated heir of the strange, secluded kingdom that her father
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constructed around them to protect his family from “the end of the world”. An extraordinary
summer, when the strict rules that hold the family together, are beginning to break: in part
2014
due to the arrival of Martin, a German boy on a youth rehabilitation program, and in part
the local community’s participation in a TV competition for big prizes “Village Wonders”,
presented by the mysterious Milly Catena.
MACONDO
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014
MACONDO
COUNTRY Austria
ORIGINAL VERSION German, Chechen, Arabic
COMMITTEE LIBE, DROI
Tucked in between the airport, motorway and the banks of the Danube in the Viennese
district of Simmering, an entire world of its own has emerged behind walls of corrugated
iron and barracks: Macondo, a settlement of refugees where about 3,000 asylum-seekers
from 22 different countries are housed. One of them is eleven-year-old Ramasan who has
come here from Chechnya with his mother and two younger sisters. His father was killed
in the conflict with the Russians, at least that’s what he’s been told. Ramasan tries his best
68
to take his father’s place – for instance by looking after his sisters or tucking his mother’s
stray hair back underneath her headscarf. But then a brooding man named Isa, a friend
2014
of Ramasan’s father from the old days, suddenly arrives in Macondo and Ramasan’s life is
thrown into disarray.
TURIST
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014
TURIST
FORCE MAJEURE
A Swedish family travels to the French Alps to enjoy a few days of skiing. The sun is
shining and the slopes are spectacular, but during a lunch at a mountainside restaurant,
an avalanche turns everything upside down. With diners fleeing in all directions, mother
Ebba calls for her husband Tomas as she tries to protect their children. Tomas, meanwhile,
is running for his life… The anticipated disaster failed to occur, and yet the family’s world
has been shaken to its core, a question mark hanging over their father in particular. Tomas
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and Ebba’s marriage now hangs in the balance as Tomas struggles desperately to reclaim
his role as family patriarch.
2014
XENIA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2014
XENIA
After the death of their mother, 16 year old Dany, leaves Crete to join his older brother,
Odysseas, who lives in Athens. Born to an Albanian mother and a Greek father, the two
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brothers have never met. Strangers in their own country, together they decide to go to
Thessaloniki to look for their father and force him to recognise them officially. At the same
2014
time in Thessaloniki, the selection for the cult show, “Greek Star” is taking place. Dany
dreams of his brother Odysseas, a gifted singer, becoming the new star of the contest in a
country that refuses to accept them.
THE BROKEN
OFFICIAL SELECTION WINNER 2013
THE BROKEN CIRCLE BREAKDOWN
CIRCLE
BREAKDOWN
DIRECTOR Felix van Groeningen
DURATION 100’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2012
SCREENPLAY Carl Joos,
Felix van Groeningen
CAST Veerle Baetens,
Johan Heldenbergh
CINEMATOGRAPHY Ruben Impens
PRODUCER Dirk Impens
CO-PRODUCERS Frans Van Gestel,
Arnold Heslenfeld, Laurette Schillings
PRODUCTION Menuet Producties,
Topkapi Films
SALES AGENT The Match Factory
2013
MIELE
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2013
MIELE
COMMITTEE ENVI
THE SELFISH
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2013
THE SELFISH GIANT
GIANT
DIRECTOR Clio Barnard
DURATION 93’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2013
SCREENPLAY Clio Barnard
CAST Sean Gilder, Siobhan Finneran,
Lorraine Ashbourne, Steve Evets,
Elliott Tittensor, Conner Chapman,
Shaun Thomas
CINEMATOGRAPHY Mike Eley
PRODUCER Tracy O’Riordan
PRODUCTION Moonspun Films,
BFI Film Fund, FilmFour
SALES AGENT Protagonist Pictures
A contemporary fable about 14-year-old Arbor and his best friend Swifty. Excluded from
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school and made outsiders in their own community, the boys meet Kitten, a local scrapman,
and begin collecting scrap metal for him using a horse and cart. Swifty has a natural gift
2013
with horses and Arbor has a business brain and a way with words – they make a good team.
But when Arbor begins to emulate Kitten by becoming greedy and exploitative, tensions
build, leading to a tragic event which transforms them all irrevocably.
ÄTA SOVA DÖ
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2013
ÄTA SOVA DÖ
EAT SLEEP DIE
COUNTRY Sweden
ORIGINAL VERSION Swedish,
Serbo-Croatian, Serbian
COMMITTEE EMPL, LIBE
It is not easy for a girl like Raša – a Muslim Swedish citizen of Balkan origin – to find a new
job. She is fired from the factory where she used to pack lettuce into plastic bowls. She
74 does not have a high school degree, and she has to support her father. She attends mental
support classes for the unemployed and tries her best to find a new job. Under these harsh
2013
circumstances, she suddenly realises that the country in which she decided to live does not
grant everyone equal opportunities.
GRZELI NATELI
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2013
GRZELI NATELI DGEEBI
DGEEBI
IN BLOOM
Tbilisi, Georgia, 1992: The Soviet era is over and Georgia must fend for itself. Civil war is
raging in the province of Abkhazia. Tbilisi is a chaotic place where people fight for a place
in the queue to buy bread and the lawless streets are teeming with arrogant soldiers and
crooks. For Natia and Eka, fourteen-year-old, childhood is coming to an end. Eka is growing
75
up without her father, rebelling against her concerned mother and older sister. And Natia’s
father, a choleric alcoholic, terrorises the entire family. The two friends cannot find peace
2013
outside the family either – neither in school, nor on the street, nor in the bread lines. Chaos,
insecurity and fear of what the future might bring hold sway in everyday life. An admirer
gives Natia a pistol with one single bullet. A little later, she’s abducted by another admirer.
KRUGOVI
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2013
KRUGOVI
CIRCLES
BELLEZZA
THE GREAT BEAUTY
Indifferent and seductive, Rome offers itself up to the astonished eyes of tourists. It is summer
77
and the city shines with an elusive and definitive beauty. Jep Gambardella is 65 and his
character emanates a charm that time has not ravaged. He is a successful journalist who flits
2013
between culture and the high life in a Rome that never ceases being a sanctuary of wonder
and greatness. Behind the decadence and decay of reality, the city continues to preserve a
hidden and sometimes desperate beauty.
LA PLAGA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2013
LA PLAGA
THE PLAGUE
Ballús chose five people living on the outskirts of Barcelona and spent four years working
with them and writing the script, in which the protagonists play themselves. A hybrid of
documentary and fiction, the film, shot during the hottest part of the summer, combines
the stories of five people working on the outskirts of Barcelona whose paths cross every
day. Lurie, a Moldavian wrestler who is waiting for Spanish papers, is working on the harvest
with farmer Raül. Raül took over the farm from his parents. The situation is precarious, as
an insect plague has infested his fields and is threatening to ruin the yield. Respiratory
78
problems have forced his neighbour Maria, an almost 90-year-old farmer, to move into an
old people’s home. There she meets geriatric nurse Rosemarie from the Philippines, who
2013
has only been living in Spain for a short time and makes her way to work every day on foot.
On a dirt road near the highway, Maribel sits on a wobbly garden chair, trying to earn a
living for herself and her unemployed son as a prostitute.
OH BOY!
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2013
OH BOY!
A COFFEE IN BERLIN
COUNTRY Germany
ORIGINAL VERSION German, English
COMMITTEE CULT
Niko is in his late 20s and recently dropped out of college. He lives for the moment, oblivious
to his growing status as an outsider until one day he is forced to confront the consequences of
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his inaction. His girlfriend breaks up with him, his father cuts off his allowance, a psychiatrist
confirms his “emotional imbalance”, and a peculiar beauty returns from his past. But all Niko
2013
wants is a decent cup of coffee. This tragicomedy is an ironic self-portrait of a young man
who drops out of university and ends up wandering the streets of Berlin. The film deals with
the desire to participate in life and the difficulty of finding one’s place.
PEVNOST
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2013
PEVNOST
FORTRESS
Just a few kilometers east of the European Union border, right between Moldova and
Ukraine, lies Pridniestrovian Moldovan Republic. This thin strip of a land on the left bank
80 of the Nistru river with 518 000 citizens is not officially recognised by any other country.
A professional film has never been shot on this territory. Framed by the presidential
2013
election, Fortress focuses on a couple of characters stuck in this geopolitical gap between
the European Union and Russia, in between capitalist present and soviet past, crime and
decency, decadence and hope for change.
IO SONO LI
OFFICIAL SELECTION WINNER 2012
IO SONO LI
SHUN LI AND THE POET
2012
CSAK A SZÉL
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2012
CSAK A SZÉL
JUST THE WIND
The story of four members of a gypsy family who live on an isolated farm in Hungary: Anna,
a young teenager who goes to school; her 11-year-old brother Rio who has created a hiding
82
place in an abandoned barn; their mother Mari who works as a cleaner in the neighbouring
village; and their grandfather Tomi who has been weakened by a stroke. It’s summer. Over
2012
the past few months, a gang of “hunters” has been committing racist crimes, attacking
gypsy families, nicknamed “the crows”, burning their homes and killing the inhabitants.
Anna, Rio and Mari will have a brush with unseen danger, until the day the hunters arrive.
TABU
OFFICIAL SELECTION COMPETITION 2012
TABU
The story of a temperamental old lady, her Cape Verdean maid and her neighbour who is
83
committed to social causes. After the old lady’s death, the other two women find out about
an episode from her past: a story of love and crime set in an Africa that looks like something
2012
out of an adventure movie.
À PERDRE
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2012
À PERDRE LA RAISON
LA RAISON
OUR CHILDREN
84 Murielle and Mounir love each other passionately. Ever since he was a boy, the young man
has been living with Doctor Pinget who provides him with a comfortable life. When Mounir
2012
and Murielle decide to marry and have children, the couple’s dependence on the doctor
becomes excessive. Murielle finds herself caught up in an unhealthy emotional climate that
insidiously leads the family towards a tragic outcome.
BARBARA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2012
BARBARA
COUNTRY Germany
ORIGINAL VERSION German
COMMITTEE EMPL, CULT, LIBE
East Germany. Barbara has requested a departure permit. It is the summer of 1978. She is
a physician and is transferred, for disciplinary reasons, to a small hospital far away from
everything in a provincial backwater. Her lover, a foreign trade employee at Mannesmann
who she met on a spring night in East Berlin, is working to help her escape. She does
not care about anything around her: the patients, her colleagues, the neighbours, the
85
summer and the countryside. There is nothing holding her here anymore. Barbara is cold,
withdrawing from everyone and everything around her. That summer, her existence is
2012
disturbed. She meets a physician, André, who was also transferred for disciplinary reasons.
André confuses Barbara. Did they put him on to her? Or has he fallen in love with her?
Barbara loses control – of herself, of love, of her life.
CESARE DEVE
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2012
CESARE DEVE MORIRE
MORIRE
CAESAR MUST DIE
COUNTRY Italy
ORIGINAL VERSION Italian
COMMITTEE CULT, JURI, LIBE
The performance of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar comes to an end and the performers are
rewarded with rapturous applause. The lights go out; the actors leave the stage and return
to their cells. They are all inmates of the maximum security prison Rebibbia in Rome. One of
86
them comments: ‘Ever since I discovered art this cell has truly become a prison’. Filmmakers
Paolo and Vittorio Taviani spent six months following rehearsals for this stage production;
2012
their film demonstrates how the universality of Shakespeare’s language helps the actors
to understand their roles and immerse themselves in the bard’s interplay of friendship and
betrayal, power, dishonesty and violence.
CRULIC
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2012
CRULIC – DRUMUL SPRE DINCOLO
– DRUMUL
SPRE
DINCOLO
CRULIC – THE PATH TO BEYOND
Narrated from beyond the grave by the protagonist, this animated feature-length
documentary tells the story of Crulic, a 33-year-old Romanian who died in a Polish prison
whilst on hunger strike. On July 11, 2007, an important Polish judge is robbed and around
500 Euros are withdrawn using his credit cards. On September 10, Crulic is accused of
87
the crime and brought to the Krakow Detention Centre, where he immediately starts a
hunger strike. Claiming he was in Italy on the day of the theft, his demands are clear: he
2012
wants a meeting with a Romanian Consulate representative and another attorney. At the
beginning of 2008, Crulic’s deteriorating health prompts the court to release him. But it is
too late; the young man dies sixteen hours later.
DJECA
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2012
DJECA
CHILDREN OF SARAJEVO
Rahima [23] and Nermin [14] are orphans of the Bosnian war. They live in Sarajevo, a
transitional society that has lost its moral compass, especially in the way it treats children
88
of those killed whilst fighting for the freedom of their city. After an adolescence plagued
with crime, Rahima has found comfort in Islam and she hopes her brother will follow in her
2012
footsteps. Their life of bare survival becomes even more difficult after Nedim gets into a fight
at school with the son of a local strongman. This incident triggers a chain of events that lead
Rahima to the discovery of her younger brother’s double life.
L’ENFANT
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2012
L’ENFANT D’EN HAUT
D’EN HAUT
SISTER
12-year-old Simon lives in an industrial valley below a luxury ski resort, together with his
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jobless sister, Louise. Every day, he takes the ski-lift to the opulent ski world above, stealing
equipment from the rich tourists to resell to the local kids below. As he teams up with a
2012
crooked British seasonal worker, Simon loses his boundaries, affecting his relationship with
his sister. Confronted with a truth they had both been denying, Simon seeks refuge up in
the mountains.
LOUISE
OFFICIAL SELECTION 2012
LOUISE WIMMER
WIMMER
DIRECTOR Cyril Mennegun
DURATION 80’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2012
SCREENPLAY Cyril Mennegun
CINEMATOGRAPHY Thomas Letellier
CAST Corinne Masiero, Jérôme Kircher,
Anne Benoît, Marie Kremer,
Jean-Marc Roulot
PRODUCER Bruno Nahon
PRODUCTION Zadig Productions,
Arte France Cinéma
SALES AGENT Films Distribution
COUNTRY France
ORIGINAL VERSION French
COMMITTEE ECON, EMPL, FEMM
50-year-old Louise Wimmer is cut adrift. Her comfortable life is turned upside down when
90 a painful separation and an unexpected crisis leave her homeless and immersed in debt,
forcing her to sleep in her car. Her job as a hotel maid is not enough for rent or to pay off
2012
her debts. However, Louise keeps fighting for a better future. Refusing even the help of
friends and a man who truly loves her, she will nevertheless find the strength to build a
new life for herself.
11-07
OFFICIAL SELECTION WINNER 2011
FIND OUT MORE AT WWW.LUXPRIZE.EU
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
WINNER 2011
ATTENBERG PLAY
DIRECTOR Athina Rachel Tsangari DIRECTOR Ruben Östlund
DURATION 95’ DURATION 118’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2011 YEAR OF RELEASE 2011
COUNTRY Greece COUNTRIES Sweden, France, Denmark
ORIGINAL VERSION Greek, French ORIGINAL VERSION Swedish
COMMITTEE CULT COMMITTEE CULT, JURI, LIBE
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OFFICIAL
MISTERIES OF LISBON 93
DIE FREMDE
WHEN WE LEAVE
DIRECTOR Feo Aladag
DURATION 119’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2010
COUNTRIES Germany
ORIGINAL VERSION German, Turkish, English
SUBTITLES AND EDUCATIONAL KIT Bulgarian, Spanish, Czech, Danish, Estonian,
Greek, English, French, Italian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Croatian, Hungarian, Maltese,
Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish
COMMITTEE AFET, DROI, EMPL, LIBE, FEMM
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
WINNER 2010
AKADIMIA ILLÉGAL
PLATONOS DIRECTOR Olivier Masset-Depasse
DURATION 90’
PLATO’S ACADEMY
YEAR OF RELEASE 2010
DIRECTOR Filippos Tsitos COUNTRIES Belgium, France, Luxembourg
DURATION 103’ ORIGINAL VERSION French,
YEAR OF RELEASE 2009 English, Russian
COUNTRY Greece, Germany COMMITTEE DROI, LIBE, FEMM
ORIGINAL VERSION Greek, Albanian,
94
German
COMMITTEE CULT, LIBE
OFFICIAL
WELCOME
DIRECTOR Philippe Lioret
DURATION 110’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2009
COUNTRIES France
ORIGINAL VERSION French, Kurdish, English, Turkish
SUBTITLES Spanish, Danish, German, English, Greek, Finnish, Hungarian, Irish,
Italian, Dutch, Maltese, Polish, Portuguese, Swedish
COMMITTEE AFET, DROI, EMPL, CULT, LIBE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
WINNER 2009
LE SILENCE DE LORNA
LORNA’S SILENCE
DIRECTOR Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
DURATION 115’
YEAR OF RELEASE 2008
COUNTRIES Belgium, France, Italy
ORIGINAL VERSION French, Albanian, Russian
SUBTITLES Spanish, Czech, German, Greek, English, Italian, Lithuanian, Hungarian,
Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Slovenian, Finnish, Swedish
COMMITTEE AFET, DROI, EMPL, JURI, LIBE
EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT
WINNER 2008
QA-01-19-618-EN-C
FILMS FROM
EUROPE TO
EUROPEANS