Bluegrass drama wins over European Parliament

Following discussions on the future of European cinema and new challenges brought about by the financial crisis and rapid changes in distribution models for films across the world, Felix van Groeningen's emotionally wrenching drama The Broken Circle Breakdown was awarded this year's Lux Film Prize by the European Parliament.

The Belgian film about a musician couple forced to cope with the death of their young daughter was in competition with the Italian film Miele - directed by Valeria Golino and being the actress' directorial debut - as well as the British 'social realist fable' The Selfish Giant.

Visibly tired after touring across the globe with his critically acclaimed and decorated film - which, apart from being a drama about grieving the breakdown of a romantic relationship, is marinated in the milieu of American bluegrass music - van Groeningen was in Starsbourg fresh from this year's edition of the European Film Awards in Berlin, where The Broken Circle Breakdown scored a Best Actress win for the film's female lead, Veerle Baetens, last Saturday.

On awarding the Lux Film Prize to van Groeningen, President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz said that the Parliament continues to hold the award because it deems films important to European culture.

"These filmmakers don't need politicians. But the fact is, we need them. We need them to show us what people are feeling," Schluz said. 

Established in 2007, the Lux Prize aims to celebrate the quality and diversity of European cinema, with an overarching drive to ensure that quality films from the continent are seen by as many people as possible - notwithstanding contemporary challenges related to financial constraints for international film production and the fragmentation of viewership as brought about by the rise of new technology.

Addressing an audience of international students - as well as youths forming part of 28xCinema, an initiative aimed to encourage the dissemination of and discussion about European cinema - chair of the EP Committee of Culture and Education Doris Pack recounted an anecdote which summed up the way the LUX Film Prize is perceived by fellow parliamentarians, while also foregrounding its overarching mission.

"I had a bit of a conflict with an unpleasant British colleague recently," Pack said during today's seminar at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

"He complained about being asked to watch and vote for the films ahead of the Lux Prize. 'Can I vote against the Lux Prize being held again?', he told me. I replied that he should have watched The Selfish Giant in order to see what is actually happening in his country," Pack said, in reference to Clio Barnard's film, the story of two young people living on the edge of poverty in contemporary Bradford, England.

READ MORE: Film Review | The Broken Circle Breakdown

This morning's seminar continued to stress upon the importance of film as a vehicle for communicating cultural values, and touched upon challenges - as well as potential advantages ­- that have come about with the rise of the internet.

Speaking about the recent phenomenon of 'Video on Demand' - which allows viewers to legally stream recent films and television shows - the head Unit for Creative Europe within the European Commission, Xavier Troussard, however said this should not be viewed as an 'El Dorado' option for fledgling cinemas and film distributors.

"Instead, we should look for ways to engage the audiences in more dynamic ways," he said.

Asked whether European cinema has a distinct identity, Valeria Gorino, director of Miele, said that while she didn't have any concrete words to describe the exact qualities that make European cinema distinctive, she was still convinced that there is something special about the continent's cinematic produce.

"There is a strange freedom of expression among European filmmakers; a freedom of thought that isn't rhetorical or tied to 'television-style' methods of storytelling. This is what I ultimately look up to, and what I want to be like as a director," Gorino said.