Sami Blood, a film by the Swedish screenwriter and director Amanda Kernell, has won the European Parliament’s 2017 LUX Prize. Set in the 1930s, in the beautiful landscape of Lapland, it addresses racism and discrimination against the Sami populations in Nordic countries.
S&D MEP Petra Kammerevert, who chairs the culture committee in the European Parliament, said:
“This year's winner of the LUX Film Prize shows the fascinating culture of the Sami indigenous community and focuses on one of the darkest chapters in the history of Sweden. The film takes a strong stand against the discrimination and exclusion of cultural and linguistic minorities in Europe and transports this topic from the cinema screen to the European audience.
“In recent years, racism and xenophobia have entered European public debate in a variety of forms. Sami Blood reacts to this development with powerful emotions and calls for more acceptance of cultural and linguistic minorities. It is a strong message for European cultural diversity.”
S&D spokesperson on culture Silvia Costa MEP said:
“Through this extraordinary initiative, established by the European Parliament in 2007, which has supported hundreds of directors, interpreters and professionals in the sector, the best of European cinema has been given an opportunity to reach audiences in different member states, revealing its emotional and unifying essence.
“Through the LUX Prize, we wish to underline our faith in art – and particularly in cinema – as a form of expression and a force for shaping of our common feeling. It can also circulate outside the European Union as a kind of European cultural diplomacy and, at the same time, support the European Union's desire to play an active role in building stability, peace and development.”
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