QUO VADIS, AIDA?

Bosnia and Herzegovina-Austria-Romania-Netherlands-Germany-Poland-France-Norway-Turkey, 2020, 104 min, color
Bosnia, July 1995. Aida is a translator for the UN in the small town of Srebrenica. When the Serbian army takes over the town, her family is among the thousands of citizens looking for shelter in the UN camp. As an insider to the negotiations Aida has access to crucial information that she needs to interpret. What is at the horizon for her family and people – rescue or death? 

This film is about a woman caught in a male game of war. It is about courage, love and resilience – and also about what happens if we fail to react on time to warning signs. I survived the war in Bosnia. One day you have everything, and the other day most of the things you know no longer exist. Just because we deem certain things unimaginable, doesn’t mean they cannot happen.
Jasmila Žbanić

LUX – The European Audience Film Award (short: LUX Audience Award) was introduced in 2020 and is presented every year by the European Parliament and the European Film Academy, in partnership with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas.

The award is built on the former LUX Prize, the film prize of the European Parliament established in 2007 as a symbol of the European Parliament’s commitment to culture, and the European Film Academy’s People’s Choice Award. It continues to build cultural bridges across Europe, in line with the original LUX Prize objectives, by shedding light on films that go to the heart of the European public debate. The award aims to strengthen ties between politics and citizens, by inviting European audiences to become active protagonists and cast their vote for their favorite films.

The audience together with the Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are invited to cast their votes online HERE. The film receiving the highest overall ranking from the public and the MEPs, with each group having a weighting of 50%, will be the winner of the LUX Audience Award. The winner will be announced at the award ceremony in the European Parliament, taking place on Wednesday, 8 June 2022, during the plenary session in Strasbourg.
The initiative gives the nominated films more visibility and helps them cross borders and reach a wider audience. It allows spectators from across the European Union to watch films that would perhaps not have been screened in their country.

The nominated films are subtitled in the 24 official EU languages and free screenings will be organized in every EU country during the watch & vote period, with film copies (DCPs) produced by the European Parliament, as part of the LUX Film Days in the spring. The LUX Audience Week in May will include simultaneous screenings of the nominated films shown in numerous cities in the EU, followed by a Q&A with one or two representatives of the film (director, actor, etc.). The LUX Audience Award winning film will be adapted for visually and hearing impaired audiences and promoted in EU countries.