2012 Lux Cinema Prize Winner

Today in Strasbourg, the European Parliament's President Martin Schulz awarded this year's LUX Cinema Prize to the film that better "help celebrate the universal reach of European values, illustrate the diversity of European traditions, shed light on the process of European integration and provide insights into the building of Europe".

This year and for the very first time since its inception in 2007, the European Parliament's LUX Prize launched the "LUX Film Days": the three finalist films were screened and subtitled in all the Member States, enabling thousands of citizens to see these beautiful European cinema features.

And the winner is:

Io Sono Li (Shun Li and the Poet), Andrea Segre, Italy and France

Synopsis: Shun Li works in a textile factory in the outskirts of Rome, in order to get her papers and enable her eight-year-old son to come to Italy. She is suddenly transferred to Chioggia, a small city-island in the Veneto lagoon, to work as a bartender in a pub. Bepi, a Slavic fisherman, nicknamed “the Poet” by his friends, has been a regular at that little pub for years. The friendship between Shun Li and Bepi upsets both the Chinese and local communities, who interfere with this new voyage, which they are perhaps simply too afraid of.

According to the press release, the film explores the question of immigration and, in this context, the conflict between shared traditions and individual aspirations. It tells an attractive story of friendship that breaks down stereotypes and prejudices against "foreigners".

This is one film that I'm really looking forward to see perhaps because different reasons than those that made it the winner today, as believe story has to be interesting plus from trailer and photos seems like has awesome visuals that border on visual poetry.

Check trailer @MOC.