The LUX Audience Award gives audiences a chance to become The Academy and pick the best out of five European films released the previous year. The five films are narrowed down from a wide selection of films submitted for the European Film Awards. The LUX Selection Panel met to choose them on June 28 in Brussels and, the names of which were announced at the Venice International Film Festival on  September 1.

The five finalist films are then subtitled in the 24 official EU languages and screened in all 27 EU countries, which of course includes Malta. The project encourages cultural diversity and offers substantial support to European artists and filmmakers. Here, the five films are being shown at Spazju Kreattiv throughout the months of February and March, in collaboration with the European Parliament Office in Malta. 

The shortlisted films are ‘The Teacher’s Lounge’ (February 9), ‘20,000 Species of Bees’ (February 16), ‘On the Adamant’ (February 23), ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’ (March 1), and ‘Fallen Leaves’  (March 7). All five will be screened at 7.30 pm, and after watching them all, audiences can rate them at rating.luxaward.eu/en/. The screenings are open to the general public free of charge, but require a booking which can be made here.