Anatomy of a Fall triumphs at the European Film Awards
- The film by Justine Triet has dominated proceedings with six wins; other winners include The Promised Land, How to Have Sex, Smoke Sauna Sisterhood and Robot Dreams
Keeping up the virtually unbroken tradition established in 2016 with the sweeping triumph of Toni Erdmann [+see also:
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Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile], the 36th edition of the European Film Awards, held on 9 December in Berlin, once again witnessed one film stealing the limelight and emerging as the undisputed victor of the night. Interestingly enough, it was another title starring Sandra Hüller that dominated the ceremony on this occasion. Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
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interview: Justine Triet
film profile], the latest Palme d'Or winner by French filmmaker Justine Triet, scooped all of the awards for which it was nominated: European Film, Director, Screenwriter (for Triet and her co-writer Arthur Harari) and Actress (in recognition of Hüller’s captivating lead performance). In addition to the previously announced Excellence Award for European Editing (see the news) and the European University Film Award, Triet's gripping courtroom drama walked away with a total of six statuettes. This victory also marks the third time in the awards' history that a movie directed by a woman has received the top prize, following the triumphs of Maren Ade in 2016 and Jasmila Žbanić in 2020.
In an unexpected snub, the two films that led the nominations this year, Jonathan Glazer's The Zone of Interest [+see also:
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film profile] (winner of the Cannes Grand Jury Prize) and Aki Kaurismäki's Fallen Leaves [+see also:
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film profile] (recipient of the Cannes Jury Prize), were left empty-handed in the main categories. While Glazer’s harrowing portrait of the life of a Nazi official and his family next to the Auschwitz concentration camp received one of the Excellence Awards for European Sound (thanks to the work of Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers), it ultimately went home without cashing in on any of the five major awards that it had been nominated for. Similarly, Kaurismäki's tender romance was completely overlooked in the main categories, along with the migration dramas Green Border [+see also:
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film profile] and Me Captain [+see also:
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film profile], directed by Agnieszka Holland and Matteo Garrone, respectively, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival to great acclaim but failed to secure any accolades at the ceremony.
When collecting the coveted Award for European Film, Justine Triet took the opportunity to acknowledge the “precious people who are working with me in the shadows”, inviting casting director Cynthia Arra and editor Laurent Sénéchal (recipient of the Excellence Award for European Editing) to join her on stage. She then handed over the microphone to her producer, David Thion, who seized the moment to raise awareness of the impending vote in the European Parliament regarding the proposal to ban geo-blocking technology in Europe. “If things change, there is a major threat to cultural diversity in Europe. It could pose a real danger for European sales agents, distributors and producers. […] They are crucial to preserving the way we make films and maintain cultural diversity in Europe,” claimed Thion.
The European Film Awards returned to a traditional in-person format in Berlin for the first time since 2019, welcoming over 1,000 international guests. Live-streamed across Europe, the ceremony was hosted by German journalist and actress Britta Steffenhagen, who maintained a light-hearted and humorous tone throughout the gala. However, the event was not without some touching moments and offered a space for reflection on the current state of the world and the arts.
As mentioned above, one of the evening's most celebrated figures was German actress Sandra Hüller, who was nominated for not one, but two remarkable performances in The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall, with the latter earning her Best European Actress. “Acting does not happen somewhere in space; it is constantly informed by what is happening in the world at that moment. Yet I'm aware that our thoughts can and will shape the world. […] I would love to be silent with you for a few moments and kindly ask you to strongly, vividly, imagine peace,” Hüller requested of the audience, who joined her for a minute’s silence. Rounding off the acting categories, Danish star Mads Mikkelsen remotely accepted the Best European Actor Award for his captivating turn in the period drama The Promised Land [+see also:
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film profile] by Nikolaj Arcel, which also received the technical gongs for European Cinematography and Costume Design.
In addition to the Excellence Awards for the different filmmaking crafts, which were revealed a few weeks ago, the other laureates of the 36th European Film Awards included How to Have Sex [+see also:
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interview: Molly Manning Walker
film profile], the directorial debut by British helmer Molly Manning Walker (winner of Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year), which received the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI, and the Sundance sensation and 2024 LUX Audience Award finalist Smoke Sauna Sisterhood [+see also:
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interview: Anna Hints
film profile] by Anna Hints, who got the audience chanting after claiming the Award for Best European Documentary. Scrapper [+see also:
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film profile] by the UK’s Charlotte Regan earned the European Young Audience Award, while Robot Dreams [+see also:
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film profile] by Spanish director Pablo Berger was recognised as Best European Animated Feature Film. Finally, Hardly Working by the Austrian collective Total Refusal emerged as the Best European Short Film of the year. As in previous editions, some of these categories were introduced during the ceremony via a series of clips featuring local groups of young people discussing the nominated films.
As previously announced, the European Achievement in World Cinema Award was presented to Spanish director Isabel Coixet. In her acceptance speech, the Barcelona-born filmmaker, boasting a sizeable filmography that includes feature films, series and documentaries produced and shot all over the globe (The Secret Life of Words [+see also:
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interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile], Map of the Sounds of Tokyo [+see also:
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film profile], Endless Night [+see also:
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making of
interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile], The Bookshop [+see also:
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film profile]), stated: “I have made films all around the world because very early in my career, I learned that behind a camera there are no borders, there are no passports, there are no flags and there are no limits. I wish the world could be like this.” Coixet's latest work, Un amor [+see also:
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interview: Isabel Coixet
film profile], premiered at the San Sebastián Film Festival and stars Laia Costa (known for her role in Victoria [+see also:
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interview: Sebastian Schipper
film profile]), who had the honour of presenting her with the award at the gala.
Hungarian master Béla Tarr got a standing ovation from the audience as he accepted the Honorary Award of the Academy President and Board. The radical auteur behind masterpieces such as Werckmeister Harmonies, Sátántangó and The Turin Horse [+see also:
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interview: Béla Tarr
film profile] took a moment to address the newer generation of aspiring filmmakers: “They have to find their own language; they have to be themselves; they have to fuck up the film industry… But the most important thing is that they have to be free. All of us have to be free.” Lastly, the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award was bestowed upon British actress Vanessa Redgrave. While she was unable to attend the ceremony in person, her presence was felt through a video recorded at her home. In a touching moment, her daughter Joely Richardson handed her the statuette, and both appeared visibly moved. The acknowledgement of Redgrave's distinguished career, which takes in iconic performances such as her role in Michelangelo Antonioni’s Blow Up, served as a well-deserved tribute to her numerous contributions to the world of cinema.
Here is the full list of winners:
European Film
Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] - Justine Triet (France)
European Documentary
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Anna Hints
film profile] - Anna Hints (Estonia/France/Iceland)
European Director
Justine Triet - Anatomy of a Fall
European Actress
Sandra Hüller - Anatomy of a Fall
European Actor
Mads Mikkelsen - The Promised Land [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Denmark/Germany/Sweden)
European Screenwriter
Justine Triet & Arthur Harari - Anatomy of a Fall
European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI
How To Have Sex [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Molly Manning Walker
film profile] - Molly Manning Walker (UK/Greece/Belgium)
European Animated Feature Film
Robot Dreams [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Pablo Berger (Spain/France)
European Short Film
Hardly Working - Total Refusal (Susanna Flock, Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner, Michael Stumpf) (Austria)
European Young Audience Award
Scrapper [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] - Charlotte Regan (UK)
European Cinematography
Rasmus Videbæk - The Promised Land
European Editing
Laurent Sénéchal - Anatomy of a Fall
European Production Design
Emita Frigato - La Chimera [+see also:
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film profile] (Italy/Switzerland/France)
European Costume Design
Kicki Ilander - The Promised Land
European Make-up & Hair
Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver, David Martí, Montse Ribéerker - Society of the Snow [+see also:
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interview: JA Bayona
film profile] (Spain/USA)
European Original Score
Markus Binder - Club Zero [+see also:
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interview: Jessica Hausner
film profile] (Austria/UK/Germany/France/Denmark)
European Sound
Johnnie Burn & Tarn Willers - The Zone of Interest [+see also:
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film profile] (UK/Poland/USA)
European Visual Effects
Félix Bergés, Laura Pedro - Society of the Snow
European University Film Award
Anatomy of a Fall - Justine Triet
Eurimages Co-Production Award
Uljana Kim
European Sustainability Award – Prix Film4Climate
Güler Sabancı
European Achievement in World Cinema Award
Isabel Coixet
Honorary Award of the Academy President and Board
Béla Tarr
European Lifetime Achievement Award
Vanessa Redgrave
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