The European FilmAcademy has taken over the production of its annual awards ceremony, theEuropean Film Awards, which will be held this year in Berlin on Dec 3.

For the past eightyears, DDA Productions has financed and executive produced the ceremony. In a statement,both parties described the move as a "mutually agreed development".

The statement read: "This brings to its natural conclusion the trendstarted in 2003, when Wim Wenders, President of the Academy, launched andoversaw a new creative concept for the Awards ceremony, with the Academy takingon more creative control of the gala.The Academy and DDA Productions believe they have now reached thenatural crossroads, where DDA Productions should step down and hand overcomplete control of the production of the European Film Awardsto the Academy."

EFA chairman NikPowell said "When [DDA] were appointed in 1997 theEuropeanFilmAwards ceremony needed a total revamp, to make itattractive to broadcasters, the media, patrons, sponsors and, most of all, toour membership. In the years since, theAcademy and Awards have experienced unprecedented growth, which would have beenimpossible without our partnership with Dennis & the DDA team."

The European Film Academy is headquartered in Berlin, where thesecretariat is headed by director Marion Döring.