LUX Audience Award 2025: ANIMAL

Scandinavia House 58 Park Avenue, New York, NY, United States

Directed by Sofia Exarchou

Greece, Austria, Romania, Cyprus, Bulgaria | 116 min | 2023 | Drama

Under the blazing Greek sun, the animateurs at an all-inclusive island resort prepare for the busy touristic season. Kalia is the leader of the pack. Paper decors, glossy costumes and dance shows fill the stage. As summer intensifies and the work pressure builds up, their nights become violent and Kalia’s struggle is revealed in the darkness. But when the spotlights turn on again, the show must go on.

Animal is director’s Sofia Exarchou sophomore feature film. Her first feature film Park (2016) premiered at Toronto IFF and San Sebastian IFF, where it won the New Directors Award. Since then, it has participated and won awards in numerous international film festivals (Rotterdam IFF, BFI, Thessaloniki IFF - Best Actress & Best Greek Film, European Film Festival Palic-Best European Film, Greek Film Academy - Best First Feature & Best Sound Award etc).

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iB3454EPtgw

The LUX Audience Award is a joint initiative of the European Parliament and the European Film Academy in collaboration with the European Commission and Europa Cinemas. It is the largest audience award worldwide and the only film prize in the world where citizens together with Members of the European Parliament -with each group weighting 50% -can decide who the winner will be by rating the nominated films online.