Nominees for the 2023 LUX Audience Award announced

At the 2022 European Film Awards in Reykjavik the five nominees for the 2023 European Parliament's LUX Audience Award were announced.

The films will be shown across cinemas in the European Union and those who attend a screening can vote for their favourite film. The winner will be selected jointly by the Members of the European Parliament and the public ratings, each accounting for 50% of the final result. The voting will finish on 12 June 2023, with the winning film announced on 14 June 2023 in Strasbourg at a European Parliament plenary sitting.

See below the five nominees:

“Alcarràs” produced by Spain and Italy, tells a story about the Solé family that has spent every summer picking peaches in their orchard in Alcarràs, a small village in Spain’s Catalonia region. But this year’s crop may well be their last. New plans for the land, which include cutting down the peach trees and installing solar panels, cause a rift in this large, tight-knit family.

“Burning Days”, produced by Turkey, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Greece, Croatia, follows Emre, a young and dedicated prosecutor, newly appointed to a small town struggling with a water crisis and political scandals. After an initial welcome, he experiences an increasing number of tense interactions and is reluctantly dragged into local politics. When Emre forms a bond with the owner of the local newspaper pressure on him escalates due to heated rumours.

“Close”, by Belgium, France and the Netherlands explores a friendship between two thirteen-year old boys Leo and Remi that is suddenly disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Leo approaches Sophie, Remi's mother. “Close” is a film about friendship and responsibility.

“Triangle of Sadness”, co-produced by Sweden, Germany, France and the UK, is an uninhibited satire where roles and class are inverted and the tawdry economic value of beauty is unveiled. It begins with models couple Carl and Yaya invited for a luxury cruise with a rogues’ gallery of super-rich passengers, including a Russian oligarch, British arms dealers and an idiosyncratic, alcoholic, Marx-quoting captain. At first, all appears instagrammable...

“Will-o'-the-Wisp”, by Portugal and France. On his deathbed Alfredo, king without a crown, is taken back to distant youthful memories and the time he dreamt of becoming a fireman. The encounter with instructor Afonso from the fire brigade, opens a new chapter in the life of the two young men immersed in love and desire, and the will to change the status quo.