Joachim Trier’s ‘Sentimental Value’ Dominates European Film Awards with Multiple Wins

Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Valuewon the board at the 38th European Film Awards in Berlin on Saturday night.

The movie won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenwriter for Eskil Vogt and Trier, along with Best European Actor and European Best Actress for Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve, as well as Best Score.

The winner of the Cannes Grand Prix entered the event as the favorite, facing competition from other notable entries, including Oliver Laxe’s drama set in Morocco.Sirāt, Mascha Schilinski’s first filmSound of Falling and Jafar Panahi’s It Happened by Chance It Was Simply an Accident It Was Just a Mishap It Was Only an Incident It Was Accidental It Was a Simple Accident It Was Unintentional It Was a Casual Occurrence It Was an Unplanned Event It Was Just an Oversight.

Laxe’s Sirātswept the craft awards by securing victories in categories such as Best European Production Designer, Best European Sound Design, Best European Editor, Best European Casting Director, and Best European Cinematographer.

In other awards, Ugo Bienvenu’sArco cContinued its winning streak by winning the Best European Animated Feature Film award.

The film, directed by Natalie Portman and created in collaboration with Sophie Mas under their Paris and New York-based label MountainA and Félix de Givry, previously received the Best Film award at the Annecy International Film Festival and is included on the Bafta longlist for Best Animated Film.

An Iranian filmmaker named Panahi began the event in Berlin with a powerful appeal, urging the global community not to stay quiet amid “the extraordinary killing” happening in Iran.

He was addressing the situation ten days into a severe crackdown by Iran’s conservative government against widespread public demonstrations. It is estimated that at least 3,000 protesters have died and an additional 18,000 have been detained, although Panahi mentioned a figure of 12,000 fatalities in his speech.

“This isn’t merely the suffering of one nation if the global community fails to address this open act of violence today. It’s not just Iran that’s in danger, but the whole world. When violence goes unchallenged, it starts to seem acceptable, and once it’s accepted, it spreads like a virus,” he stated.

When truth is suppressed in one area, freedom dies everywhere. Then, no one is secure. Regardless of where in the world—whether in Iran, Europe, or America—that’s exactly why, as filmmakers and artists now more than ever, if we are dissatisfied with politicians, we must at least refuse to stay quiet because silence during a crime isn’t neutrality; it’s involvement in darkness.

Other honorary awards were given to Norwegian acting icon Liv Ullmann and Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher, who each received a Lifetime Achievement Award and the European Achievement in World Cinema Award respectively.

Ullmann utilized her acceptance speech to highlight the role of film in portraying human reality as well asher worry about U.S. President Donald Trump being recently honoredMaría Corina Machado, a leader of the Venezuelan opposition, with her Nobel Peace Prize.

In the other awards, Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach, and Janine Jackowski, who co-lead Germany’s Komplizen Film, were honored with the previously announced accolades Eurimages International Co-Production Award.

The group acknowledgedSentimental Value, the most recent in a series of co-productions that also includeThe Whistlers by Corneliu Porumboiu,The Tale of My Spouse by Ildikó Enyedi, About Dry Grasses by Nuri Bilge Ceylan, Corsage by Marie Kreutzer, Yesby Nadav Lapid along with many others.

The Complete List of 2026 European Film Award Winners:

Best European Film

Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier

Best European Director

Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Best European Actor

Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value

Best European Actress

Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value

Best European Animated Film

Arco (France)

Directed by Ugo Bienvenu

Best European Documentary

Fiume o Morte! (Croatia, Slovenia, Italy)

Directed by Igor Bezinović

European Cinematographer

Mauro Herce for Sirāt

Best European Screenwriter

Eskil Vogt, Joachim Trier ofSentimental Value

Best European Editor

Cristóbal Fernández for Sirāt

European Composer (Original Score)

Hania Rani for Sentimental Value

European Casting Director

Nadia Acimi, Luís Bértolo, and María Rodrigo forSirāt

Top European Makeup and Hair Artist

Torsten Witte for Bugonia

European Sound Designer

Laia Casanovas for Sirāt

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