Five films have been shortlisted for the 2023 LUX Audience Award (Alcarràs by Carla Simón Pipó, Burning Days by Emin Alper, Close by Lukas Dhont, Triangle of Sadness by Ruben Östlund, Will-o'-the-Wisp by João Pedro Rodrigues). Almost 45 000 people rated the nominated films. The LUX Audience Award 2023 ceremony takes place in the plenary room of the European Parliament in Brussels. extracts from the ceremony and statement by the winner, Lukas Dhont, director of "Close". The transcript is the result of an automated process. Please check against delivery

Brussels

statement

ceremony

METSOLA, Roberta (EPP, MT, EP President)

REGNER, Evelyn (S&D, AT)

LUX European Audience Film Award 2023 (T)

LUX Audience Award 2023 ceremony: extracts from the ceremony and statement by the winner, Lukas Dhont, director of "Close"

Establishing shot of the European Parliament in Brussels

Atmosphere before the LUX Audience Award ceremony (9 shots)

Atmosphere with the five directors of the movies and with EP President, Roberta Metsola (6 shots)

Family photo of Roberta Metsola and the LUX Audience Award finalists (2 shots)

Inside the hemicycle, atmosphere shots of the ceremony and the introduction of finalists (7 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Roberta METSOLA, President of the European Parliament, <p>Dear friends, let's celebrate European cinema and the message of hope that these films carry. Let us be inspired by them to participate in positive change. Thank you.</p>

<p>SOUNDBITE (English), The announcement of the winner, So there is the magic moment and the winner is "Close".</p>

SOUNDBITE (English), Lukas Dhont, director of "Close", Close very much centres around the character that fears or starts to fear the intimacy within a friendship and therefore ruptures it. And I just think that next to this being, of course, a very specific story, I think that's just something that a lot of people can connect to, or at least that I mean, apparently they do.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lukas Dhont, director of "Close", Yeah, we feel very thankful to have reached this audience and to feel like the film has really moved some of the people who saw it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Lukas Dhont, director of "Close", The LUX Audience Awards, of course, is this platform, that platform that reaches out to an as wide as possible European audience. The fact that it made the film accessible also to people all over Europe is really a big gift for us a as the team behind "Close".

SOUNDBITE (English), Lukas Dhont, director of "Close", What is the first thing we're going to do to celebrate our victory tonight? I think we're going to have a drink. Definitely. I think, I don't know. I'm going to. I'm going to call my father. I feel like he will be very proud that I stood in that auditorium and, speeched. 

SOUNDBITE (English), Lukas Dhont, director of "Close", And just celebrate the fact with all these other five filmmakers celebrate European cinema and the fact that over 45,000 people actually voted and so cared for European films, which I think is an incredible victory.

Inside the hemicycle, atmosphere shots of the ceremony and shots of the winner (6 shots)