- 5 minutes ago
LUX Audience Award finalists discuss themes of love and freedom in film
Euronews held a debate with four of the LUX Audience Award 2026 finalists at the European Parliament. The discussion touched on shared themes in the films, such as love, freedom and family.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/14/lux-audience-award-finalists-discuss-themes-of-love-and-freedom-in-film
Spark your senses, wake your wonder. Euronews Culture seeks to show creativity in action and inspire our audience to explore the world through the five senses. Start your journey through the best of Europe's arts, gastronomy, traditions and high-end craftsmanship.
Euronews held a debate with four of the LUX Audience Award 2026 finalists at the European Parliament. The discussion touched on shared themes in the films, such as love, freedom and family.
READ MORE : http://www.euronews.com/2026/04/14/lux-audience-award-finalists-discuss-themes-of-love-and-freedom-in-film
Spark your senses, wake your wonder. Euronews Culture seeks to show creativity in action and inspire our audience to explore the world through the five senses. Start your journey through the best of Europe's arts, gastronomy, traditions and high-end craftsmanship.
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NewsTranscript
00:03Good morning and welcome to the European Parliament. Today is the day at 6pm. The winner of the Lux
00:10Audience Award 2026 will be announced by Parliament's Vice President Sabine Ferraien. I'm Vincenzo
00:17Genovese and I have the pleasure of hosting today a roundtable with the representatives of the five
00:23films in competition broadcast live on Euronews YouTube channel. So joining me today are film with
00:31noise, actor in Christie, Eva Libertad, director of DEF, Rachel Kahn, producer of Love Me Tender and we
00:41have also Philippe Martin, producer of It Was Just an Accident, he is connected from Paris. Bonjour Philippe.
00:48So thank you everyone for being with us. I start with a simple question. Pick one word to define your
00:56movie.
00:57Community. Why? The film at the heart of the film, it's about Christie trying to find his place in the
01:08world and through
01:10that, through the community he meets, he finds his tribe and finds his place. So it's really, it's all
01:18about finding community and the power that community can bring to healing. Okay. Eva, it's difficult one word
01:28I know, but let's try. Yes, I think a love, love. Yes. We have seen much love in in your
01:36movie in DEF.
01:37Yes. Maybe a kind of love that is not so common. Yes, I think sort of DEF arise from this
01:47desire to explore in DEF the
01:49the complexity of the complexity of the DEF and the hearing world. The complication and conflicts, but also the
01:59love and connection. And I think that it's a love story between the mother and her child, the couple, the
02:11protagonist couple. And I think the idea that I work with, I've been working with during all the process
02:20was love. At the same point, there is a third person in this love, which is the baby, which is
02:27of course
02:27loved by both parents. But this creates some kind of complication because love is always complicated.
02:34Yes, yes. And because love in the beginning of a relationship, when they are alone, it's always
02:42perfect. The communication is perfect. But when the, with the arrival, with the baby's arrival,
02:48all the problem start to, to, to, to, to arise. Okay. And speaking of love, Rachel.
02:55I would pick freedom. Freedom. Wow. Yes.
02:59I'm curious. Yeah. Because at the end of the day, Love Me Tender really follows a character who tries
03:06to jungle, uh, with her complex identities because she is a mother. She is a queer person. Uh, she's a
03:15woman and she's trying to make everything work out together. And of course she's a writer too. And all of
03:21this is trying, is being stripped, uh, by her ex-husband who takes her son's custody away from her.
03:28So I feel like, um, this word would really, uh, describe her journey into being truly who she is.
03:37Very interesting topics as well. We will dig further later. Philippe, it's your turn. Pick one word, please.
03:48Wow. Okay.
04:12How difficult was to produce, you spoke about future, but let's speak also about the present in Iran today. How,
04:19how difficult is to produce, uh, uh, a movie set in Iran nowadays?
04:26Uh, um, uh, c'est, ce, ce, ce film, uh, n'a pu se tourner que clandestinement. Il y
04:48se fait arrêter chaque jour par la police, ce qui, ce qui a fini par arriver le, à deux jours
04:54de la fin
04:55du tournage, mais il a quand même réussi à faire les deux jours qui lui manquaient ensuite.
04:59Okay. And it's also interesting sometime to go behind the scenes, to know these little details
05:05about, about movies. Eva, you also have some kind of, um, I won't say, um, archives,
05:12but maybe challenges when to, to produce this movie. Uh, this project, uh, has, um, different, um, has
05:26differences from another project because, um, the main actress of the project is a deaf actress,
05:33and she's my sister in real life, and she's deaf in real life. And, um, there were, um, there were
05:42more,
05:43deaf actors in the project, um, deaf team, um, so we needed to create, uh, a very, um, uh, caring
05:54and accessible set. So I think that's the most, um, different thing in this, in this process. Yes.
06:06Is it more difficult because of the particularity of this movie, or it's more difficult? It was more difficult
06:12because it's difficult to direct your sister for the personal relation. Yes. I think, uh, it wasn't, uh,
06:19difficult. It was different. We just had to, um, create some, um, some protocol, um, and directing my sister
06:31was amazing. We, we, we, we, we have already worked together in theater and in a short field with the
06:39same
06:39title, deaf, and, um, we knew each other as a director and actress. Um, the, the, the only thing that
06:49I think it was, um,
06:52tough, or it does, uh, it was that if, if, if, if I, uh, I knew that if I see
07:00my sister, um,
07:03not comfortable, yes, uncomfortable on set, I, I wasn't able to, uh, work as director. So I needed to
07:13create this caring, uh, comfortable set. Yes. A deep connection between director and actors helps a lot,
07:20I guess, no? Yeah. I don't know if it, in your experience, was the same, uh, in terms of, uh,
07:26empathy
07:26with the director. Yeah. I mean, um, that's everything, you know, you need, you need the trust
07:32and, and, um, uh, Brendan had approached me for Christie, uh, over Facebook actually, um, originally,
07:40and just to know that, you know, you're, you're already wanted really. It takes, it takes off the
07:45performance-based, like it's not results, um, orientated performing, you know, it becomes about
07:52the processes, the results, and it's just, it's hugely creative. So there's a huge sense of
07:56family, you know, um, which you already had. Metaphoric family, let's say. Um, as an Irish
08:06young man, how much of your private experience, personal experience did you find in this, in this
08:11movie? Um, a lot, a lot came out. Um, the one thing I really found through this film, um, a
08:20lot,
08:21I think a lot of Irish, uh, males, um, we struggle being vulnerable, you know, um, and we really,
08:29uh, we're really longing for connection. Um, it's just, you know, years of, of the history of what's
08:37happened in Ireland and everything, you know, um, so that was, that was, that really resonated with me.
08:42That's what my character was going through and what Christie was going through. And, um,
08:48that came out in my personal life. Yeah, yeah. You, you play the elder son of
08:51I play Shane. Yeah. Yeah. Um, Christie's brother who takes him in and, and, um, uh, it's about what's
09:00not said and what, what's longing to be said between Irish, Irish men in the film. And it's,
09:05uh, speaking of connection, I turn to Rachel because, um, Love Me Tender is a film about connection,
09:13but it was about discrimination of LGBTQI people. Uh, this is a topic that is widely debated also
09:21here in the European Parliament. Do you think it's addressed enough in Europe? Uh, I think it's
09:27addressed, but the reality of this community is still complex because, uh, we can see that, um,
09:36their condition might have evolved through Europe, but it remains uneven because you can see that it's
09:43more in the deep social, uh, circles that, um, LGBTQI plus people can be, uh, threatened and can be, uh,
09:54uh, questioned as, uh, authentically authentically being, uh, themselves. So I think it's still a debate
10:03and we still need some movies and directors, people doing art to, uh, stir the debate around, uh, how we
10:12accept people living outside social norms. Okay. I'm, I'm going to Philippe. As you may have understood,
10:20Philippe is answering, uh, in French, but here everybody understands French, no? The second most
10:26beautiful language of Europe, I would say. Uh, Philippe, I'm joking just because the next question is not
10:32a joke. This movie, uh, it was just an accident, um, puts us in front of a kind of difficult
10:39question.
10:40It's, uh, how should we treat our torturers? What's your answer?
10:50Uh, it's very difficult to respond.
10:56Uh, déjà , je, je, je peux pas répondre à la place de Jafar Pana'i ou de quelqu'un qui
11:05vivrait en Iran.
11:06C'est-à -dire que moi, j'ai déjà Farpanaï à faire ce film,
11:10j'ai tout fait pour que ce film existe
11:13et puisse être vu dans le monde entier, avoir des récompenses,
11:17mais je ne peux pas me substituer à la parole d'un Iranien sur ces sujets.
11:23Ce sont des sujets trop importants
11:28et auxquels on ne peut répondre qu'avec un vécu
11:33et une expérience politique que je n'ai pas.
11:38Ce que je peux juste dire, c'est que Farpanaï
11:44a beaucoup réfléchi sur la fin de son film,
11:47comment il fallait que son film termine
11:49et quel était le sentiment que l'on devait avoir
11:53par rapport aux bourreaux du film
11:56et la possibilité qu'il puisse être pardonné
12:00par les personnes qu'il avait agressées.
12:05Et il a souhaité une fin très ouverte
12:07et qui ne soit pas trop claire
12:12dans une direction ou dans une autre.
12:13Il ne voulait pas que le film dise clairement
12:19oui, nos bourreaux seront pardonnés
12:21ou non, on ne les pardonnera jamais.
12:23Il tenait à ce que le spectateur
12:26fasse son chemin par rapport à cette situation.
12:29Comme vous l'avez dit, Jafar Panaï, le directeur
12:33de « C'était juste un accident ».
12:35Il a dit qu'aujourd'hui, ce genre de film
12:39est produite après un régime est terminé.
12:43Mais vous l'avez produite, vous l'avez fait avant,
12:46je veux dire, quand le régime était déjà là .
13:01Si le film est un portrait d'Iran, c'est ça votre question ?
13:05Oui, oui, c'est si vous craignez de quelque sorte
13:09de rétaliation des autorités iraniennes
13:11pour la façon dont vous portez dans votre film
13:15la situation dans l'Iran aujourd'hui.
13:18Je veux dire, pas aujourd'hui,
13:19mais peut-être pas aujourd'hui
13:21parce que la guerre,
13:22mais la situation du régime iranien.
13:30Je ne suis pas sûr de bien comprendre la question.
13:33C'est basiquement si vous avez des fears
13:36de ce qui peut se passer
13:38Ã la directrice
13:40ou à quelqu'un qui s'intéresse dans ce film.
13:45LÃ encore, je ne peux pas parler pour Jaffar.
13:50C'est des sujets trop intimes et trop importants
13:54pour que je donne un point de vue
13:59qui ne peut être que le point de vue de quelqu'un
14:02qui, je connais un peu l'Iran
14:03parce que j'y suis allé il y a quelques années,
14:05mais qui est quand même le point de vue
14:07de quelqu'un d'étranger.
14:08Donc sur la question vraiment
14:10de la situation politique iranienne aujourd'hui,
14:14même Jaffar s'exprime avec beaucoup de précautions.
14:19OK, and I understand that it's a delicate matter.
14:23And speaking of delicate situation,
14:26your movie, Diyanid,
14:28speaks also about the unease of the Gen Z,
14:32of the young people.
14:34What's your take on this?
14:38Wow.
14:42Again, I think it comes back to community.
14:45I think a lot of the Gen Z,
14:49what I found through this film is,
14:52you know, after COVID,
14:55after all that kind of stuff that happened,
14:57a lot of people,
14:58they've been cut off socially.
15:01And I think we need to bring that back
15:05a lot more, you know,
15:06the social norms.
15:07And there is also a different way
15:09to perceive the world
15:10between them, the youngest,
15:12and us.
15:13Well,
15:14I mean, not you,
15:15us,
15:16the older, no?
15:18A different way to perceive
15:19the reality
15:20and also the life.
15:23What's the question?
15:24If there is,
15:25in your opinion,
15:26a different way to perceive
15:27the world
15:29to live,
15:31if you see a big gap
15:32between us and them,
15:34a big generational gap.
15:37I mean,
15:40we,
15:40we,
15:41the,
15:42kind of,
15:42the,
15:43there was a place called
15:43The Cabin,
15:45which was like,
15:46they were,
15:47all the young kids,
15:48now young adults,
15:49in the film,
15:50a lot of them were street cast.
15:51They came from a place
15:52called The Cabin.
15:53And,
15:55and I think art is,
15:57they teach them how to,
15:58how to,
15:59in The Cabin,
15:59how to rap,
16:00how to create music,
16:04how to create art.
16:06And,
16:06a lot of them,
16:07a lot of the younger generation,
16:10I think they,
16:11it was hugely beneficial to them,
16:14in The Cabin.
16:15They,
16:16they struggle to verbalize
16:18what they're going through in life.
16:19But if you ask them to write a rap
16:22or write a piece of music,
16:24it's like therapy for them.
16:25It all comes out.
16:26And I think,
16:27I think art is a huge thing
16:30that stands the test of time,
16:32with any generation.
16:33And I think that's something
16:34that the younger generation
16:35can really benefit from,
16:37is,
16:37I think that will really help
16:39bring out the voices again,
16:40you know?
16:40Yeah.
16:41As you mentioned,
16:43difficulties are struggling
16:44to verbalize.
16:45I go to Eva.
16:47Do you think that your film
16:49can change in some way,
16:52at least in Spain,
16:54the life of the deaf people?
16:56For example,
16:57after watching it,
17:00I think I can talk more easily
17:04to the deaf people.
17:05I learned,
17:05for example,
17:06that it's important
17:06that they can read your lips
17:08or that they can watch your hands
17:10to understand what you are saying.
17:13Do you think this will produce,
17:14in some way,
17:15a good impact in the society?
17:18I don't know.
17:19I wish.
17:20I hope so.
17:21But I think it's soon
17:24to know
17:26if the movie is going to impact.
17:30But I think that
17:32there are a lot of
17:34hearing audiences
17:35that send us a message
17:38about how the movie
17:40changed their perspective
17:42about deafness,
17:44about deaf community,
17:45and about diversity.
17:48Because I think that
17:49this movie
17:53helps people
17:55to think about
17:56the normality,
17:59which is normality,
18:00because I think that
18:01the true normality
18:03is diversity.
18:05For everybody, yes.
18:06Normality does not exist.
18:08And it's also
18:09a very good topic
18:10in Love Me Tender,
18:11what's normality,
18:13how people struggle
18:16to be considered
18:17as normal,
18:18as the character
18:19of Love Me Tender.
18:20Yes, true.
18:21And it really follows
18:23this through
18:25the eyes of justice,
18:27also.
18:28Because,
18:29as you can see,
18:30Clemence is the victim
18:32of a huge injustice
18:34from, you know,
18:36the misogyny
18:38and homophobia
18:39that runs through
18:40the eyes of people
18:42who were taking part
18:44in her trial
18:45and trial for
18:46her son's custody.
18:48So,
18:49I feel like
18:50it has
18:51different levels.
18:54You know,
18:54it has the family level,
18:56social level,
18:57and also the political
18:58and law level
19:00that gives what's normal
19:02and what's not
19:03and that we should
19:04all question.
19:06And there is also
19:06this sort of dilemma
19:07for Clemence
19:09between the relationship
19:11with the son
19:12and asserting
19:14her own personality,
19:16which is, I think,
19:17a very relevant topic
19:18for women today.
19:19Yeah,
19:20and this dilemma
19:22is not really
19:23chosen.
19:24It's kind of,
19:25like,
19:26put on her
19:27and
19:28it's just more
19:30about her journey
19:31into
19:33dealing with
19:34the time justice
19:37imposes on her
19:38because she didn't
19:39choose it
19:39and the time of childhood
19:40because it is not
19:42compatible
19:42and
19:43she tries to remain
19:45a mother
19:45and she remains
19:46a mother
19:47at the end of the day
19:47when you think about it.
19:49It's just
19:51her trying to
19:55pursue the battle
19:57and
19:58she chooses
19:59what she chooses.
20:02Okay,
20:02and this is the message,
20:04a good message,
20:05I think.
20:06And, Philippe,
20:07also,
20:08your film
20:09sends a strong message.
20:11What's the main message
20:12in your opinion
20:13that we should take?
20:15Message.
20:17What's the main message
20:19that we should take
20:20from your film?
20:22Of course,
20:22any watcher
20:23has a different one.
20:27The message of my film,
20:32la réponse est un petit peu
20:33la même que pour votre
20:36première question.
20:39Le message du film,
20:41c'est comment s'organiser
20:48et comment reconstruire
20:51une démocratie
20:52en sachant que cette démocratie
20:54devra se construire
20:55avec les personnes
20:57qui ont semé la terreur
20:58pendant des décennies.
21:00Et la question
21:03que pose
21:04le film de Jaffar,
21:05c'est celle-ci.
21:06C'est vraiment
21:08une question
21:09Ã laquelle
21:10en France,
21:11on a été beaucoup confronté
21:12et pas seulement en France,
21:14qui a été
21:14de reconstruire
21:15un pays
21:16avec les gens
21:17qui avaient collaboré
21:19pendant la Deuxième Guerre mondiale.
21:20Comment l'Allemagne
21:22a réussi
21:23à un moment donné
21:23Ã se reconstruire
21:24et à reconstruire
21:25une démocratie
21:25avec toutes les personnes
21:27qui avaient également
21:29été les artisans
21:30du Troisième Reich.
21:31Et la question
21:32du film de Jaffar,
21:33c'est celle-ci.
21:35Il faudra trouver
21:36une solution
21:37et est-ce que cette solution
21:39sera dans le pardon
21:41ou est-ce que la solution
21:42sera dans la vengeance.
21:43C'est un petit peu ça
21:44la question morale
21:45qui est posée.
21:46As you mentioned
21:47democracy
21:47and also briefly
21:49the history of Europe,
21:51I would ask,
21:52what would you ask
21:54to the European Parliament,
21:56to the members
21:57of the European Parliament
21:58if you meet them
22:00because we are here
22:01in the House
22:01of European Democracy,
22:03your colleagues
22:04will meet
22:05probably several MEPs
22:06tonight
22:07during the ceremony.
22:08What would be
22:09your request
22:11for them?
22:18Mon souhait
22:19c'est vraiment
22:20que l'Europe
22:23puisse faire
22:24absolument tout
22:24ce qu'elle peut
22:25pour aider
22:27Ã ce que l'Iran
22:28retrouve le chemin
22:28de la démocratie.
22:31Et qu'en effet,
22:32l'exemple
22:33de l'Europe
22:34montre
22:35Ã quel point
22:36on peut reconstruire
22:37sur des ruines
22:38comment on peut
22:40partir d'une situation
22:41qui était
22:41une situation
22:45encore plus horrible
22:46que celle
22:47que connaissent
22:48les Iraniens
22:49aujourd'hui
22:49parce que pendant
22:50la guerre
22:51c'est toute l'Europe
22:52qui était
22:54en conflit
22:54et c'est
22:56toutes les horreurs
22:57qu'on connaît.
22:58Et en même temps,
22:59l'Europe
23:00réussit
23:01Ã retrouver
23:01les ressources
23:02en elle
23:03pour reconstruire
23:05une démocratie
23:06et pour
23:07reconstruire une démocratie
23:08Ã 27,
23:08ce qui est
23:09complètement fou.
23:10En fait,
23:11c'est sûrement
23:12peut-être
23:12quand on se penchera
23:14sur l'histoire
23:15des civilisations
23:16comme on le fait
23:18quand on regarde
23:19ce qui s'est passé
23:19il y a des millénaires,
23:20on se dira
23:21il y a eu ce moment
23:22incroyable
23:23où des pays
23:24ont réussi
23:25cette reconstruction-lÃ
23:26de cette façon.
23:27Et à partir de là ,
23:29on a certainement
23:30une expérience
23:32de ça,
23:33une connaissance
23:33de ça
23:34et qu'on doit
23:36certainement
23:37pouvoir apporter
23:37un soutien
23:39à un moment donné,
23:40alors que ce n'est
23:40peut-être pas
23:41aujourd'hui
23:41le moment,
23:43encore que,
23:44mais on sent
23:46que peut-être
23:46ce moment
23:46qu'on n'a jamais
23:48été aussi près
23:49de ce moment
23:49et à partir de là ,
23:52oui,
23:53je pense que l'Europe
23:53peut être un soutien
23:55essentiel
23:55dans l'expérience
23:58et dans la capacité
24:00Ã accompagner
24:03les Iraniens
24:04dans un nouveau
24:05chemin de vie.
24:06Je demande
24:07que j'ai participé
24:08par plusieurs citoyens
24:10je dirais.
24:11Même question
24:11avant de passer,
24:12même question
24:13pour vous.
24:14Vous rencontriez
24:14des MEPs,
24:15des vice-presidents
24:16du Parlement européen.
24:17qu'est-ce que vous demandiez
24:19vous demandiez ?
24:21My only request
24:24to them
24:25would be
24:25keep
24:26European cinema
24:27alive.
24:29I think
24:30those cultural hubs
24:33I think we need
24:37more art,
24:38more artistic hubs
24:39in working class areas
24:42around Europe
24:44and I think the power
24:46that cinema has
24:47to heal
24:48and like we had
24:49we
24:50a couple of times
24:53now people
24:53come up to me
24:54at screenings
24:55who have family issues
24:56and they're saying
24:57like they can't speak
24:58to their family
24:59but if they show
25:00them that film
25:00Christie
25:01that might have
25:03a massive effect
25:04that like
25:05brothers
25:07can talk to each other
25:08through watching the film.
25:10language of art
25:11that you mentioned
25:12before.
25:14Eva?
25:16I think we need
25:17more inclusion policies
25:19and I would ask them
25:25to create
25:26a more accessible culture
25:31in order to
25:32a deaf community
25:34and diverse
25:35people with diversity
25:42that can live
25:43in better conditions
25:45and to access
25:46the culture
25:47and to create
25:49culture together.
25:51Do you think
25:53not enough
25:54has been done
25:54at the moment
25:55in Europe?
25:57No.
25:57We have a long way
25:58to walk.
26:01Rachel,
26:01last shot is yours.
26:03I'll take
26:04the three answers
26:05and mix them.
26:06Wow, okay.
26:07I really liked
26:07everything that was said
26:09of course
26:09more inclusion
26:10just like Eva said
26:11and as Derman said
26:12yes I would ask
26:14them to
26:15resist to the threats
26:17that are being put
26:18on art
26:18because when
26:19they can be
26:20some people
26:21saying that
26:23art is not
26:24that important
26:25and that we should
26:25cut budget
26:26we should
26:27you know
26:28not invest
26:29as much as we do
26:29but I do believe
26:31that European cinema
26:32is a cinema
26:33of diversity
26:33and that
26:35it helps
26:36also experience
26:37empathy
26:37because
26:38you can travel
26:39through cinema
26:39basically
26:40and just
26:43with the films
26:44that were selected
26:45here
26:45just take
26:47really
26:47a knowledge
26:49different social matters
26:50through Europe
26:52and through
26:53for example
26:54Ireland
26:54so
26:55I would say that
26:56another very good
26:57message
26:58which brings
26:59our debate
27:00to an end
27:00thanks Eva
27:02thank you
27:02sorry
27:03thanks Eva
27:03thanks Rachel
27:04thanks
27:10merci beaucoup
27:12Philippe
27:13thank you
27:13everybody
27:14for watching
27:15this debate
27:15the winner
27:16of the Lux Award
27:17will be announced
27:18today
27:18here
27:19the European Parliament
27:20at 6pm
27:21Brussels time
27:22Euro News
27:22will follow
27:23of course
27:24so stay in touch
27:25and may the best
27:26win today
27:27have a nice day
27:28thank you
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