Ciné Utopia to Screen Prix Lux 2019 Finalist Films

The three finalists of the "Prix LUX" 2019, the film prize awarded by the European Parliament, will be screened at Ciné Utopia in Luxembourg-Limpertsberg on 14, 19 and 21 November 2019 respectively.

This year's finalists "God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija", "Cold Case Hammarskjöld" and "The Realm" (El reino) will be screened at the same time in several cities in the four corners of Europe.

The screening of the Macedonian drama film "God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunija" on Thursday 14 November will be followed by a debate in the presence of the film's director, Teona Strugar Mitevska, and Luxembourg MEP Monica Semedo. Admission is free although seating is limited. Reception will start at 18:15 with the film starting at 19:00.

Synopsis: In Stip, a small town in Macedonia, every year in January, the parish priest throws a wooden cross into the river and hundreds of men dive to catch it. Happiness and prosperity are assured to the one who achieves it. One day, Petrunija throws herself into the water on a whim and takes the cross before everyone else. Her competitors are furious that a woman dared to participate in this ritual. War is declared but Petrunija is holding out: she won her cross, she will not give it back.

Ciné Utopia will then screen "Cold Case Hammarskjöld", a documentaryby Danish film maker Mads Brügger, on Tuesday 19 November. Reception will start at 18:00 with the film starting at 19:00.

Synopsis: On 17 September 1961, UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld's plane crashed in the Congolese province of Katanga under strange circumstances. Congo's defender of independence, Hammarskjöld made himself unpopular with Western powers on the African continent. The mysterious crash has never been fully elucidated. More than 50 years later, the provocative Danish director and journalist Mads Brügger ("The Ambassador") is investigating. After a false start, a short track and some mind-blowing interviews, a much bigger deal is surfacing.

Finally, on Thursday 21 November, Ciné Utopia will screen Spanish film director Rodrigo Sorogoyen's "The Realm". Reception will start at 18:00 with the film starting at 19:00.

Synopsis: Manuel López-Vidal is an influential politician in his region in Spain. When entering the national leadership of his party, he finds himself involved in a corruption case that threatens one of his closest friends. Trapped, he plunges into a hellish spiral.

Since 2007, the European Parliament's "Prix LUX" has rewarded the best of European cinema every year and makes it accessible to a wide audience, beyond linguistic and cultural barriers. The aim is also to help the most important European (co-)productions to go beyond the national market and to encourage debate on values ​​and social issues across Europe.

Any interested person can vote for the film of their choice before 31 January 2020 at: http://luxprize.eu/audience-mention. The 2019 winner will be chosen by the MEPs and announced on 27 November 2019 in Strasbourg, in the presence of the three directors of the finalist films. The winner of the public vote will be announced at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in July 2020.

For more information, visit www.europarl.lu.