Nomination for "Essential Killing"

Feo Aladag, Olga Sehnalova, Eva Zaoralova. Photo by Marcin Kułakowski, Polish Film Institute

The third day of the 46^th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival brought the announcement of nominations for the Lux Prize – the film award of the European Parliament. One of the ten nominated titles is Essential Killing by Jerzy Skolimowski.

Guests gathered on the terrace of the Thermal festival centre were welcomed by Eva Zaoralova, former artistic director of the event. The history of the Lux Prize was presented by Olga Sehnalova, European Member of Parliament representing the Czech Republic. “This award was first presented in 2007. The Lux Prize initiative is aimed at the European film industry, to encourage it to become involved in the debate on European integration and the everyday subjects that Europeans face, such as human rights, the rights of women, or poverty. I believe that filmmakers can really have a strong say in such debates. The winning film will receive distribution support from the European Union. The European Parliament will support the production of prints and translating the film into all European languages,” said Sehnalova.

Feo Aladag, winner of the 2010 Lux Prize for Die Fremde, presented the ten nominated films:

• A Torinói ló (The Turin Horse), directed by Bela Tarr
• Attenberg, directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari
• Essential Killing, directed by Jerzy Skolimowski
• Habemus Papam, directed by Nanni Moretti
• Le Havre, directed by Aki Kaurismäki
• Les neiges du Kilimandjaro (The Snows of Kilimandjaro), directed by Robert Guédiguian
• Morgen, directed by Marian Crisan
• Mistérios de Lisboa (The Mysteries of Lisbon), directed by Raúl Ruiz
• Pina, directed by Wim Wenders
• Play, directed by Ruben Östlund

Essential Killing is the second Polish film to receive a Lux Prize nomination. Andrzej Jakimowski’s Sztuczki (Tricks) was one of the nominated films in 2008. One of the selection committee members for this year’s Lux Prize was Jakub Duszyński, representing the Gutek Film distribution company. The three finalists will be announced at the Venice International Film Festival press conference on July 26, while the winning film will be selected and presented in Strasbourg in mid-November.

Further details about the Lux Prize available at: www.luxprize.eu.

Translated by Karolina Kołtun