Three films shortlisted for Parliament's LUX Cinema Prize of the European Parliament are being screened at the European Parliament in Brussels. They are Eastern Plays (Bulgaria, Sweden), Sturm (Germany, Denmark, Netherlands), and Welcome (France). The winner will be revealed on 25 November in Strasbourg.

 LUX Prize is a film award established by the European Parliament, where deputies award those movies that illustrate the universality of European values, the diversity of European culture, or try on the construction process of the European Union. The award statuette representing a roll of film is film which is a Tower of Babel as a symbol of multilingualism and cultural diversity, united in the same place with one goal.

The three films competing this year for the LUX Prize were announced on 9 September during the 66th edition of the International Film Festival of Venice. Now,  736 Members of the European Parliament must elect the winner, which will then be awarded the LUX Prize 2009 at the European Parliament.

The winner will be officially announced and the prize, worth €87,000, will be awarded in Strasbourg on 25 November by EP President Jerzy Buzek. The award will finance subtitling in the EU's 23 official languages, including the adaptation of the original version for visually- or hearing-impaired people, and, for each EU member state, the production of a 35-mm print per member state or a contribution to the DVD release.

Eastern Plays

Eastern Plays looks at the growing problem of neo-Nazi violence in Europe. In these film two brothers - Georgi and Itso - find themselves on opposite sides of the spectrum as one is an active racist whilst the other saves a Turkish girl from a beating. Directed by Kamen Kalev it is in Bulgarian, Turkish and English.

Sturm

The Yugoslav war crimes tribunal in The Hague is the scene of this film directed by Hans-Christian Schmid. Prosecutor Hannah Maynard persuades a young Bosnian girl to testify against an alleged Bosnian Serb war criminal. Amid the threats from Bosnian Serb nationalists, Maynard realises that threats and enemies lurk among her own colleagues. In English, German, Bosnian and Serbian.

Welcome

Simon is a swimming instructor working in Calais who decides to try and woo his wife back by helping a young Kurdish refugee swim the English channel to seek asylum in Britain. As they prepare for this hazardous journey a bond develop between this unlikely couple. Directed by Philippe Lioret the film is in French, English and Kurdish.