From the reporter in Strasbourg – The five finalists of the LUX Audience Award 2026, the latest edition of the film prize organised by the European Parliament in collaboration with the European Film Academy, have been announced. The list of five films left to compete for the award includes Christy by US director Brendan Canty, Deaf by Spanish director Eva Libertad, It Was Just An Accident by Iranian director Jafar Panahi, Love Me Tender by French director Anna Cazenave Cambet and, finally, Sentimental Value by Danish director Joachim Trier. The Italians are left to watch: only in 2012 did Andrea Segre manage to win with his I am Li..
Convincing the jurors to choose this shortlist was not only an artistic factor. The selection evaluated criteria such as the affinity of the feature films with European values, the promotion of inter-cultural ideals and the ability to stimulate public debate. The aim of the award, after all, is to “reach where laws cannot reach,” stressed Sabine Verheyen, (EPP) Vice-President of the European Parliament, at a press conference.
The candidates
The competition includes established directors such as Joachim Trier, 51, who gained fame with Reprise, the story of two writers in Oslo amidst punk atmospheres and the complexities of life. In the running this time with Sentimental Value, he will try to win with the story of two sisters who reunite with their father, a once-famous director, as he attempts to make a comeback. The cast includes star Elle Fanning and celebrated Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård.
More experienced is Jafar Panahi, 65, 2012 Sakharov Prize winner and exponent of the Iranian New Wave. He has served as an assistant director on numerous films directed by the renowned filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami. In competition with It Was Just an Accident, he tells the story of the repression of the Tehran regime through the adventures of a night driver mistaken for a prison officer. The film was shot without the official authorisation of the Iranian authorities.
Also featured is the latest film by Brendan Canty, an American musician and director who attempts to win the LUX Award with the Irish charm of Christy. The protagonist is the very young Danny Power, who plays a boy kicked out of his foster home and forced to live with his older half-brother, with whom he no longer has contact.
For Spain, there is Eva Libertad, who participates with Sorda. The film, which began as a short film in 2021, was later expanded into a feature film and released in cinemas in 2025. The plot tells of Ángela, a deaf woman who is expecting a child with her hearing partner.
The youngest in the race is French Anna Cazenave Cambet, 35, with Love Me Tender, presented in the Un Certain Regard section at the 78th Cannes Film Festival. The lead character is played by Luxembourgish Vicky Krieps, a 40-year-old woman who loses custody of her son after confessing to her ex-husband that she has romantic relationships with other women.
SENTIMENTAL VALUE explores the deep well of pain between parents and children to profound effect.
An intimate exploration of history, art, and the intersection of the two within a family.
Few filmmakers express vulnerability like Trier while still making us laugh. A triumph. pic.twitter.com/f5HEaYpFa9
– Daniel Howat (@howatdk) August 31, 2025
Who votes
The winning feature film will be chosen jointly by viewers and MEPs. The vote of both groups will count for 50% of the total. European viewers will benefit from free screenings throughout the Union and subtitling in all recognised EU languages. Audiences will be able to express their preferences on the LUX Audience Award evaluation platform. MEPs will view the feature films in the coming months, before the vote and the final ceremony in mid-April in Brussels. Until 2019, only MEPs could vote for the finalists and thus determine the winner.
English version by the Translation Service of Withub
