2026 LUX Audience Award shortlisted films unveiled at the European Parliament

The films Christy, Sorda, It Was Just An Accident, Love Me Tender, and Sentimental Value will compete for the 2026 LUX Audience Award, it was announced this Tuesday in Strasbourg.

The five nominated films for the LUX Audience Award were chosen by a panel of film professionals from across EU member states.

"Cinema is part of who we are as Europeans. These films embody the European Parliament's commitment to defending democracy, freedom, and diversity, while addressing the challenges faced by our societies, from inclusion and human rights to young people's mental health.

The LUX Audience Award is about bringing European cinema closer to people, wherever they live, and giving them a chance to see Europe from a different perspective," said the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.

"This year's LUX films once again reflect the diversity of our society - with its different structures, tensions and struggles. The selected films move us with powerful, deeply human stories and strong emotions. Together, they testify to the need for a robust cultural budget as a key instrument to build stronger, more inclusive and fairer democracies," added the vice-president responsible for the LUX Audience Award, Sabine Verheyen.

"The LUX Audience Award is a unique tool of cultural and democratic expression. Viewers all over Europe get to elect the best out of a choice of remarkable European films.

In the Committee on Culture and Education, we are working to improve access to culture and the conditions for cultural creators. It is the EU's responsibility to defend the independence of the European cultural sector, and celebrate the diversity of our film industry," stated the chair of the Committee on Culture and Education Nela Riehl.

Discover the films

Christy. Directed by Brendan Canty, Christy centres on a 17-year-old Irish boy of the same name who is ousted from his foster home and forced to live with his estranged older half-brother. Despite the potentially negative influence of his extended family, Christy begins making friends and reconnecting with his roots. As his brother tries to secure a better future for him, both are faced with tough decisions that challenge their fragile bond.

Sorda. Spanish director Eva Libertad tells the story of Ángela, a deaf woman expecting a child with her hearing partner. Ángela's fears about motherhood and her ability to communicate and interact with her daughter mount as she confronts the reality of raising a baby in a world not built for her.

It Was Just An Accident. Directed by 2012 Sakharov Prize laureate Jafar Panahi, the film explores political repression in Iran through the story of a night driver who kills a dog. Stranded, he goes to a garage, where his rescuer believes him to be the prison officer who tortured him. This film was made without official filming authorisation from the Iranian authorities.

Love Me Tender. French director Anna Cazenave Cambet adapted Constance Debré's book about a 40 year-old woman who loses custody of her son after telling her ex-husband that she has romantic relationships with women. This fact is used against her in court, leading the judge to grant the father full custody. The film centres on the woman's fight to remain a mother and a free woman.

Sentimental Value. The complexities of family dynamics are explored in this English, Norwegian and Swedish-language film from director Joachim Trier. Two sisters are reunited with their father, a once-renowned director trying to make a comeback film. After one of his daughters turns down a role in the film, he gives it to an eager young Hollywood actor. Suddenly, the already complicated family relationship gains an additional element, with the arrival of the American star.

Next Steps

Free screenings of the five films will take place in all EU countries up until April 2026. In keeping with the European Parliament's total commitment to accessibility, and for the first time, the shortlisted films will have subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.

Citizens across Europe, as well as the Members of the European Parliament, can vote for their favourite film on the LUX Audience Award rating platform. Their respective votes will each count 50% towards the films' final scores.

A ceremony to announce the 2026 LUX Audience Award laureate will take place at the hemicycle of the European Parliament in Brussels in mid-April 2026.

For the 2025 edition of the award, more than 900 screenings of the shortlisted films were organised, with discussions involving more than 90,000 audience members. 2025's laureate was the film Flow by Gints Zilbalodis.

Background

The LUX Audience Award has been awarded by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and the Europa Cinemas network, since 2020. It fosters dialogue and engagement between politics and the public. The award is complemented by the Young Talent Programme, which seeks to engage young cinema professionals in the promotion of European values and the LUX Audience Award project.

• Raquel Ramalho LOPES

  Press officer

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