Editor

The European Parliament today unveiled the ten films pre-selected to compete for this year's LUX Prize within the framework of the Brussels European Film Festival. These films, produced in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Romania or the United Kingdom, all reflect the creative excellence of European cinema which the European Parliament is pleased to support.

The following ten films have been pre-selected to compete for the 2010 European Parliament 'LUX' Prize:

Akadimia Platonos (Plato's Academy) by Filippos Tsitos, Greece, Germany

Bibliothèque Pascal by Szabolcs Hajdu, Hungary, Germany, United Kingdom, Romania

Die Fremde (When We Leave) by Feo Aladag, Germany

Illégal (Illegal) by Olivier Masset-Depasse, Belgium

Indigène d'Eurasie (Eastern Drift) by Sharunas Bartas, Lithuania, France, United Kingdom

Io sono l'amore (I Am Love) by Luca Guadagnino, Italy

La bocca del lupo (The Mouth of the Wolf) by Pietro Marcello, Italy

Lourdes by Jessica Hausner, Austria, France, Germany

Medalia de onoare (Medal of Honour) by Calin Peter Netzer, Germany, Romania

R by Tobias Lindholm and Michael Noer, Denmark

As part of the partnership between the LUX Prize and the "Venice Days" section of the Venice International Film Festival, a short list of at least three of these films will be announced on 27 July 2010 at the "Venice Days" press conference. The competing films will first be screened in Venice, and will then be shown in the Brussels-based European Parliament's premises from 26 October to 19 November. Members of the European Parliament will then vote for the winning film and the 2010 LUX Prize will be awarded on 24 November by the President of the European Parliament at its headquarters in Strasbourg.

The prize showing the European Parliament's commitment to cinema

The LUX Prize (in Latin, lux means light) was established in 2007 as a tangible symbol of the European Parliament's commitment to the European film industry and its creative endeavours. No matter which individual, historical or social issue it illustrates, each film of the LUX Prize Official Selection serves as a glimpse of Europeans - their lives, their convictions and doubts, their quest for identity.

As for previous winners - Auf der anderen Seite (2007), Le silence de Lorna (2008) and Welcome (2009) - the 2010 LUX Prize winning film will benefit from the financial support of the European Parliament, consisting of subtitling into the 23 official languages of the European Union (EU), including an adaptation of the original version for visually- or hearing-impaired people, and producing a 35 mm print per EU member state or supporting the subsequent DVD release.

Eligibility criteria and the selection process

To be eligible to the 2010 LUX Prize Official Selection, films must meet the following requirements: fiction or animation films or creative documentaries; a 60 minute minimum running time; illustrating or questioning the founding values of our European identity, Europe's cultural diversity or bringing insights into the debate on the EU integration process; productions or co-productions eligible to the MEDIA programme (European Union, Croatia, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland); first theatre release between 1 June 2009 and 31 May 2010.

Every year, a panel determines the Official Selection for the LUX Prize. It includes producers, distributors, exhibitors, festival directors or film critics. One third of the Selection Panel is renewed yearly, and its members are appointed by the European Parliament's Committee on Culture and Education. The panel includes the previous LUX Prize winner. The European Commission (MEDIA) and the Council of Europe (EURIMAGES) sit as observers.