The European Film Awards ceremony, a live-updating event, brought a thrilling night of recognition for European cinema. Stellan Skarsgård and Renate Reinsve, playing a father-daughter duo in Sentimental Value, took home the top acting honors, with Skarsgård also winning a Golden Globe for his supporting role. Both are now strong contenders for the Oscars, adding to the buzz around European films on the international stage.
But here's where it gets controversial... All the Best Film nominees at the EFAs are now in the Oscar race, including Sentimental Value, It Was Just an Accident, Sirāt, Sound of Falling, and The Voice of Hind Rajab. This shift in timing for the EFAs, from December to January, seems to have paid off, creating a platform for these European films to gain global attention.
In the director's category, the competition was fierce. Jafar Panahi, Oliver Laxe, Joachim Trier, and Mascha Schilinski went head-to-head with Yorgos Lanthimos, director of Bugonia. Sirāt and Sound of Falling dominated the crafts categories, winning awards for production design, sound design, editing, and casting. Fiume o Morte! took the trophy for Best Documentary, while Arco, an animated fantasy, won for European Animation Feature Film.
However, the EFAs were not just about awards. Politics took center stage, surprising those expecting a typical awards ceremony. Iranian director Jafar Panahi, amidst a brutal government crackdown in his home country, delivered a powerful statement, calling for global action against the regime's violence. His speech, a standing ovation moment, highlighted the risks not just for Iran but for the entire world if violence goes unanswered.
And this is the part most people miss... Liv Ullmann, a Norwegian actress and director, known for her Oscar-nominated roles, used her Lifetime Achievement Award to take a subtle dig at Trump, referencing the controversial decision by Venezuelan leader María Corina Machado to give her Nobel Peace Prize medal to Trump. Ullmann's comment, a witty jab, left a lasting impression.
Alice Rohrwacher, an Italian director, was honored with the European Achievement in World Cinema Award. She dedicated the award to her sister, actress Alba, and added a political message, urging the audience to stand against calls for war and extractivism, reminding them of their collective power.
The full list of winners is below, showcasing the diverse range of European talent and stories celebrated at the EFAs.
EUROPEAN FILM
Afternoons of Solitude
Arco
Dog of God
Fiume o Morte!, dir. Igor Bezinović
It Was Just an Accident, dir. Jafar Panahi
Little Amelie, dir. Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han
Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake, dir. Irene Iborra Rizo
Riefenstahl, dir. Andres Veiel
Sentimental Value, dir. Joachim Trier
Sirāt, dir. Oliver Laxe
Songs of Slow Burning Earth, dir. Olha Zhurba
Sound of Falling, dir. Mascha Schilinski
Tales From the Magic Garden, dir. David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar and Jean-Claude Rozec
The Voice of Hind Rajab, dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
With Hasan in Gaza, dir. Kamal Aljafari
EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY
Afternoons of Solitude, dir. Albert Serra
Fiume o Morte!, dir. Igor Bezinović (WINNER)
Riefenstahl, dir. Andres Veiel
Songs of Slow Burning Earth, dir. Olha Zhurba
With Hasan in Gaza, dir. Kamal Aljafari
EUROPEAN ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
Arco (WINNER)
Dog of God
Little Amelie
Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake
Tales From the Magic Garden
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR
Yorgos Lanthimos for Bugonia
Oliver Laxe for Sirāt
Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident
Mascha Schilinski for Sound of Falling
Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value
EUROPEAN ACTRESS
Leonie Benesch for Late Shift
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi for Duse
Léa Drucker for Case 137
Vicky Krieps for Love Me Tender
Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value (WINNER)
EUROPEAN ACTOR
Sergi López for Sirāt
Mads Mikkelsen for The Last Viking
Toni Servillo for La Grazia
Stellan Skarsgård for Sentimental Value (WINNER)
Idan Weiss for Franz
EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER
Santiago Fillol and Oliver Laxe for Sirāt
Jafar Panahi for It Was Just an Accident
Mascha Schilinski and Louise Peter for Sound of Falling
Paolo Sorrentino for La Grazia
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value (WINNER)
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY - PRIX FIPRESCI
Little Trouble Girls, dir. Urška Djukić
My Father's Shadow, dir. Akinola Davies Jr
On Falling, dir. Laura Carreira (WINNER)
One of Those Days When Hemme Dies, dir. Murat Fıratoğlu
Sauna, dir. Mathias Broe
Under the Grey Sky, dir. Mara Tamkovich
EUROPEAN YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARD
Arco
I Accidentally Wrote a Book
Siblings (WINNER)
EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
Mauro Herce for Sirāt
Fabian Gamper for Sound of Falling
Manu Dacosse for The Stranger
EUROPEAN EDITOR
Yorgos Mavropsaridis for Bugonia
Toni Froschhammer for Die My Love
Cristóbal Fernández for Sirāt (WINNER)
EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER
James Price for Bugonia
Jørgen Stangebye Larsen for Sentimental Value
Laia Ateca for Sirāt (WINNER)
EUROPEAN COSTUME DESIGNER
Ursula Patzak for Duse
Michaela Horáčková Hořejší for Franz
Sabrina Krämer for Sound of Falling (WINNER)
EUROPEAN CASTING DIRECTOR
Yngvill Kolset Haga and Avy Kaufman for Sentimental Value
Nadia Acimi, Luís Bértolo and María Rodrigo for Sirāt (WINNER)
Karimah El-Giamal and Jacqueline Rietz for Sound of Falling
EUROPEAN MAKE-UP & HAIR ARTIST
Torsten Witte for Bugonia (WINNER)
Gabriela Poláková for Franz
Irina Schwarz and Anne-Marie Walther for Sound of Falling
EUROPEAN SOUND DESIGNER
Johnnie Burn for Bugonia
Laia Casanovas, Amanda Villavieja and Yasmina Praderas for Sirāt (WINNER)
Gwennolé Le Borgne, Marion Papinot, Lars Ginzel, Elias Boughedir and Amal Attia for The Voice of Hind Rajab
LUX AUDIENCE AWARD
Christy
Deaf
It Was Just an Accident
Love Me Tender
Sentimental Value
EUROPEAN SHORT FILM - PRIX VIMEO
Being John Smith
City of Poets (WINNER)
L'Avance
Man Number 4
The Flowers Stand Silently, Witnessing
