Report on the Lux Audience Award & European Film Festivals

This deliverable combines research from two tasks: T3.2: Analysis of EU initiatives promoting the European Film Industry (EFI): The case of the European Audience Film Award (LUX Audience Award) (M27-M32). This task focuses on the EU’s contribution to film awards that seek to impact European film viewers. The annual LUX Audience Award was introduced in 2020. It seeks to build bridges across Europe by shedding light on films that go to the heart of the European public debate. The task explores its impact on the EFI and the latter’s competitiveness as well as audience development and media recognition of the awarded films. It also analyses the contents of the awarded films and how they address cultural diversity and other EU values. Methods: Desk research and analysis of secondary sources regarding the award and awarded films; analysis of the style and content of the awarded films; interviews with selected stakeholders from national film institutes. T3.6 Analysis of EU delegations’ role in promoting the EFI: The case of the EU Film Festivals (M7-M12). A European Commission initiative, launched in 2018 and managed by the Goethe-Institut, Institut Français and Cineuropa, helps EU delegations in third countries to organise European film festivals. The task focuses on selected third countries (covering North America, Latin America, Europe, Africa and Asia) and explores how the film festivals have been organised in these countries and with what aims and effects. The country case studies focus on linguistic and cultural differences that the festival organisers perceive as impacting on the competitiveness of European cinema. The task also analyses the contents of the films shown and the ways in which the films represent cultural diversity and other EU values. Methods: Desk research and analysis of secondary sources regarding the European film festivals; analysis of the style and content of the selected films; interviews with selected representatives of EU delegations and festival organisers; triangulation of the results vis-à-vis the European External Action Service’s approach to strategic communications.