Spanish director Eva Libertad’s debut feature, Deaf, has won the 2026 LUX European audience award.
Deaf (Sorda) was one of five films shortlisted for the award alongside Irish director Brendan Canty’s Christy, Iranian director Jafar Panahi’s French production It Was Just An Accident, French director Anna Cazenave Cambet’s Love Me Tender, and Norwegian director Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value.
The LUX Audience Award is presented through a collaboration between the European Parliament, the European Film Academy, the European Commission and the Europa Cinemas network. The winner is determined through a combined voting process in which European citizens and Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) contribute equally, each accounting for 50% of the final result.
“The LUX Audience Award shines a light on films that open our eyes to experiences beyond our own. This year’s winner, Deaf, does exactly that – with courage, warmth and rare authenticity,” said European Parliament vice-president Sabine Verheyen.
The prize was awarded at a ceremony in the European Parliament’s Hemicycle in Brussels yesterday.
“I hope that this award will help to focus on the deaf community, and the diversity of people in Europe,” said Libertad.
Deaf premiered in the Panorama at the 2025 Berlinale. Set in a small town in southern Spain, the family drama details the challenges of motherhood from the perspective of a deaf woman who is married to a hearing man. Miriam Garlo, the director’s sister, stars in the film, which was produced by Distinto Films.
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