The Lux Film Prize was established by the European Parliament to assist with the distribution of high-quality European films and to stimulate public debate in Europe. The films that are shown are competing for this very prize.

Most European movies are shown only in the countries where they are produced and are rarely distributed outside their borders, so the award provides support for subtitling three films from the official competition and having them translated into the 24 languages of the Union, this helps to create national copies of the film finalists for every country and facilitates their distribution throughout Europe, thereby reaching wider audiences.

Admission to the screening is free, and, given the limited number of available seats, those who are interested in attending may pick up free tickets at a Cinema City ticket counter.