The war in Ukraine, workers’ rights, harassment of minors, neocolonialism and the climate crisis are in the spotlight for the 2025 edition of the LUX Audience Award. These themes have been explored in animation, fiction, documentary, and sometimes in a mixture of genres.
“The war came to my home and there are certain life circumstances that don’t leave us choice. As a documentary filmmaker and artist I’m generally interested in justice and human rights”, explained Oksana Karpovych, Ukrainian-Canadian director of the documentary Intercepted.
“When Russia invaded Ukraine, I was on the spot and felt that it was my duty as an artist to respond to the circumstances”, she added about the creative process that had as a base the intercepted phone conversations between Russian soldiers and their families.
“When I started the project five years ago, we were in the midst of #MeToo movement. I had an issue with the media, the public discourse about victims. It was very polarised because there was much pressure on people to come out and come forward with stories”, said Leonardo van Dijl.
This is how the Belgian director became interested in treating harassment for the fictional drama Julie keeps quiet, about a young tennis player’s relationship with her coach.
Conversation topics and co-productions
Mati Diop, from France, directed Dahomey, a documentary about the restitution of 26 royal treasures of the Kingdom of Dahomey from France, whose colonial troops looted in the 19th century. She involved the students of the University of Abomey-Calavi in the storytelling.
“I felt it was my duty to make sure that the restitution would be fixed in time, in history, by portraying this moment in a subjective way, of course, but also the idea to archive and to document a moment that, I think, wouldn’t exist in the same way if it hasn’t been portrayed by cinema”, said Mati Diop.
In an era of increasing propaganda and misinformation, film and storytelling in general can play a powerful role in fostering dialogue and social change.
“Films can open up some doors of thought. There’s all this huge information, a lot of stuff going on politically around the world. I think we’re living in some pretty strange and scary times”, pointed out Sofia Exarchou, from Greece, director of Animal.
“I think cinema can sometimes show people in the shadows or people who are being ignored”, she added about her film that portrays the hardships faced by entertainment professionals in tourist resorts, who suffer from emotional and physical exploitation.
Each of the finalist films are co-productions between two or more countries, which bears both opportunities and challenges.
Flow, an animation by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis, was co-produced by Latvia, France and Belgium, to tell the story of animals that found refuge on a boat after floods, which could take us back to Noah’s Ark in a dystopian future.
“I would say it’s vital because movies is a very expensive form of art. When you see the end credits of a movie, you realise how many people are working on a movie. And in most countries, maybe the smaller countries, you cannot raise all the budget for making your movie”, said the film’s producer Gregory Zalcman.
“But it’s not only about getting financing in other countries, it’s also about getting another point of view”, he added.
The winning film is chosen by a combined public vote and vote by members of the European Parliament, each group’s choice weighted at 50%.
Play the video above to follow the full debate recorded at the European Parliament.
