“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. Director Eva Libertad gives us an unforgettable window into the life of a deaf woman navigating motherhood in a world not built for her. Led by a stunning performance from deaf actress Miriam Garlo, the film challenges us to listen differently and to build a Europe where no one is left unheard," said European Parliament vice-president Sabine Verheyen during the award press conference earlier today, announcing that Sorda (Deaf) by Eva Libertad is the winner of the European Parliament’s LUX 2026 Audience Award,
This 2025 Spanish drama (99 minutes) stars deaf actress Miriam Garlo as Ángela, a deaf woman facing motherhood challenges with her hearing partner in a world not designed for her needs. It explores themes of inclusivity, communication barriers, and social issues, earning praise for its authenticity and emotional depth
The winner was chosen by citizens across Europe, as well as the Members of the European Parliament, who voted for their favourite film on the LUX Audience Award rating platform. Their respective votes counted 50% each to the films’ final scores.
“I hope that this award will help to focus on the deaf community and the diversity of people in Europe and to promote inclusion policies that improve their living conditions. I am also confident that it will contribute to society changing its view of diversity, that it will no longer be seen as a problem and that it will be perceived as human wealth," said the director Eva Libertad.
The film's story reflects Libertad's personal life; the actress playing Angela, Miriam Garlo, is her sister. "Miriam was born with normal hearing. She lost her hearing at age seven, but my parents were never told that she was deaf. She had 60% hearing loss at that point, which increased over time,” said the director in an interview.
The other four shortlisted films were: “Christy”, by Irish director Brendan Canty; “It Was Just an Accident”, by Iranian director Jafar Panahi who won the 2012 Sakharov Prize; “Love Me Tender”, by French director Anna Cazenave Cambet; and “Sentimental Value”, by Norwegian director Joachim Trier.
"Deaf" had previously won the Audience Award in Berlin's Panorama section, the International Confederation of Arthouse Cinemas prize, and Best Film at Malaga. Screenings occurred across Europe, including at Scandinavia House in March 2026.
Eva Libertad is a Spanish director, screenwriter, and producer born on October 7, 1978, in Molina de Segura, Murcia. She is also a sociologist who founded the production company Nexus CreaFilms in 2016, focusing on inclusive storytelling, often exploring themes like deafness, LGBTQ+ issues, and social barriers.
Through the LUX Audience Award, a unique pan-European audience film prize, Parliament has been supporting the distribution of European films since 2007, providing subtitles in 24 EU languages for all shortlisted films. This year, for the first time and keeping with Parliament’s commitment to accessibility, shortlisted films have subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing.
A statement by the LUX Awards underlines that the European Parliament works with the European Film Academy, the European Commission, and the Europa Cinemas network to reach a wider audience and to continue to strengthen the links between people and politics
