Lux | 07 - Cinema Prize - The European Parliament is commited to culture

24.10.2007 - The Turkish-German co production "On the Edge of Heaven" ("Auf der anderen Seite") won the first edition of the European Parliament

Prix LUX

The Turkish-German co production "On the Edge of Heaven" ("Auf der anderen Seite") won the first edition of the European Parliament. The German Actress Hanna Schygulla received the trophy from EP President Hans-Gert Pöttering in front of the Members of the European Parliament, and representatives from the other films in competition. MEPs voted for the winning film from a short-list of three.

Hans Gert Pöttering said: " Today, we are experiencing a premiere: 50 years after signing the Treaty of Rome, the European Parliament is awarding for the first time the newly created cinema prize "LUX".

With this prize we want to award annually a film that raises attention to current social questions that affect our continent and highlights European Integration especially. Furthermore, the award is supposed to highlight the richness of linguistic diversity within the European Union and to support the artistic production of the cinema sector.

The Lux Prize '07 award ceremony

Hanna Schygulla said: " This is a film that gives hope and is not blind to the brutality, the cynicism and the horrible tension that sometimes can lead to terrorist attacks."

The three films that were in competition are listed below. They were selected by a 17 member jury composed mainly of people working in the cinematic professions. Each film was shown nine times, from 1 October to 18 October 2007, within the European Parliament in Brussels in a 90 seat cinema room specially conceived and built for this purpose.