Jury report

Luka was born in Maastricht and graduated as an actress from the Maastricht Theatre Academy in 2021. And that wasn't actually her intention at all. Initially, Luka wanted to attend film school in Brussels to become a director. After graduating—when all graduates decided to move to the Randstad—she decided to go against the grain and stay in her hometown and shape her career there autonomously and deliberately, without focusing on a single discipline. Since graduating, she has worked extensively in Limburg, for example, as an actress in the musical "Diary of a Shepherd Dog" and as a production manager for productions directed by Zorba Huisman. Luka also regularly works as an actress in Germany, including at Theater Bremen.

The jury admires the many qualities she combines within herself and the flexibility with which she combines her talents. She is often the driving force behind her own work, and that commands respect. She writes, performs, directs, photographs, and produces, and all these disciplines make her a richer and more accomplished artist.

Despite her training at the Maastricht Theatre Academy, her ambition to become a film director hasn't faded. She wrote and directed her first film, "Als een schaduw Blijf je mij Bewaar" (Like a Shadow Kept You in My Life), set in South Limburg and selected for film festivals in countries including the United States and Norway. In 2021, she starred as an actress in the short film "Sjeemte," about a young woman in South Limburg who, out of shame, does everything she can to hide her low literacy. For "Sjeemte," Luka won Best Actress awards at film festivals in Canada and Bulgaria. She is currently co-writing a sequel to "Sjeemte" with Floris Ramaekers, titled "Moojertaol," in which she will also play the lead role. And then there's the short film "Blin Fiducie," which she wrote and directed with an entirely Maastricht-based crew.

Through her work, Luka fully embodies the significance of her education for South Limburg society, a requirement stipulated in the Henriëtte Hustinx Awards regulations for awarding the prize. In the jury's view, she is developing rapidly, and that development shows no signs of slowing down. The jury admires her career progress thus far and hopes that the prize money will help her realize future dreams and projects.