The European Film Awards (EFA) moved its usual December date to January this year in order to better match the growing global focus of the awards calendar. Although these winners won’t affect the Oscar nominations, as the Academy voting ended on January 16, the event on January 17 might sway Oscar voters when they choose their winners in March.
Europe’s counterpart to the Oscars awarded prizes on Saturday in Berlin, with several nominees also expected to be contenders for the 2026 Oscars: “Bugonia,””Sentimental Value,””It Was Just an Accident,” and “Bugonia” among them. Last year’s top winner, “Emilia Pérezemerged victorious at the EFAs in December 2024 before star Karla Sofía Gascón’s past Twitter activitysurfaced the following month, hurting the movie’s chances of winning major Academy Awards.
The Motion Picture Academy has almost double the number of voters compared to the European Film Academy, although there is some overlap between the voting groups that might influence where the Oscars are awarded. (See Live Streaming Movie Film Online awards pundit)Anne Thompson’s Oscar nomination forecasts here; those arrive on January 22.)
The program was “hosted” by documentary filmmaker and film historian Mark Cousins (“The Story of Film”). He collaborated with film composer Dascha Dauenhauer and stage director Robert Leh n**ger to create a European Film Awards ceremony that did not have a conventional host, instead incorporating numerous flashbacks to cherished European films ranging from “The Umbrellas of Cherbourg” to “Playtime.” Jafar Panahi, the director of “It Was Just an Accident,” who is soon to face further consequences,another jail term in Iran, kicked off the ceremony with a political appeal urging recognition of the oppression and deaths of protesters in his native country.
“If the truth is suppressed in one location, liberty withers in all places,” he stated, asVariety reportedThen no place on Earth is secure. Not in Iran. Not in Europe. Not in America. Not anywhere across the globe. And this is exactly why our responsibility as filmmakers and artists has never been more challenging. If we are dissatisfied with politicians, we must at least avoid staying quiet. Because remaining silent during times of wrongdoing is not neutrality. Silence is an involvement in darkness.
Cousins also took the stage to present a European achievement in world cinema award to Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher (“La Chimera,””Happy as Lazzaro”).
Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann, who has been a prominent figure in Ingmar Bergman’s films and was once in a relationship with the director, was honored with the European Film Awards’ version of a lifetime achievement award. In response to how Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado gave her Nobel Peace Prize to U.S. President Donald Trump, Ullmann stated, “There are laws that state if the Nobel Prize is misused, it can be taken away. Someone in power in the United States might be disappointed. He could lose it… I am pleased.” (The prize is given by Norway.)
All the recipients of the European Film Awards to date are listed below, with updates in real-time.
European Director
Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value”
European Composer
Hania Rani’s “Sentimental Value”
European Documentary
“River or Death!,” directed by Igor Bezinović
European Casting Director
Nadia Acimi, Luís Bértolo, and María Rodrigo for “Sirāt”
European Screenwriter
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier for “Sentimental Value”
European Editor
Cristóbal Fernández for “Sirāt”
European Sound Designer
Laia Casanovas, Amanda Villavieja, and Yasmina Praderas for “Sirāt”
European Makeup and Hair Artist
Torsten Witte for “Bugonia”
European Actress
Renate Reinsve in “Sentimental Value”
European Actor
Stellan Skarsgård in “Sentimental Value”
European Animated Feature Film
“Arco” (France)
Directed by Ugo Bienvenu
European Production Designer
Laia Ateca for “Sirāt”
European Costume Designer
Sabrina Krämer for “Sound Of Falling”
European Discovery – FIPRESCI Prize
“On Falling” (United Kingdom, Portugal)
Directed by Laura Carreira
European Young Audience Award
“Siblings” (Italy)
Directed by Greta Scarano
European Short Film – Vimeo Prize
“City of Poets”
Directed by John Smith
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