27 Times Cinema
27 young film-lovers, each representing one European country, meet every year since 2010 to attend the Venice International Film Festival under the 27 Times Cinema Initiative. This project is set up by the LUX Film Prize of the European Parliament, in partnership with Europa Cinemas, Giornate degli Autori and Cineuropa.
The 27 participants are chosen out of hundreds of candidates on the basis of their originality, commitment and passion for film. In Venice, they have the opportunity to watch all films in the Venice Days selection and be film critics by contributing to a blog and to Europa Cinemas’ social networks. They also participate in round-table discussions and debates with film industry professionals, critics and filmmakers. In parallel, the 27 are devoted to the exploration of the 3 finalist films of the LUX Film Prize selection by watching the films and discussing them with their directors and the members of the European Parliament present in Venice. They will also be the LUX Film Prize ambassadors in their own country during the LUX Film Days.
Since 2014, the GdA Director's Award allows the 27 young participants – together with the Jury moderator, Karel Och (artistic director of the Karlovy Vary IFF) and the Jury president (a different director every year) – to grant €20.000 to their favorite film.
Please see our Blog to find out more. You will find the profiles of the 28 Ambassadors and the portraits of the cinemas they represent.