It was a strong night for Anatomy Of A Fall at this year’s European Film Awards, taking home five awards at this evening’s (December 9) ceremony in Berlin.
French filmmaker Justine Triet’s Palme d’Or winner continued its triumphant streak, having recently scored the Bifa for best international independent film and best international feature and screenplay at the Gothams. The mystery thriller, which Triet co-wrote with her partner Arthur Harari, and stars Sandra Hüller, clinched the prizes in the European film, director, screenwriter and actress categories, in addition to the previously announced editing prize for Laurent Sénéchal.
Scroll down for the full list of winners
Triet gave a special shout out in her European film award speech to those who work below-the-line, “in the shadows”, but “are so, so important for me”. Producer David Thion used the platform to throw his weight behind the movement to urge the European Parliament to oppose moves to ban geo-blocking by audiovisual services across the EU, which he sees as a threat to the diversity of cinema.
UK film had a solid showing, with Molly Manning Walker’s How To Have Sex and Charlotte Regan’s Scrapper both securing wins, in the European discovery – prix Fipresci and European young audience award categories respectively, and Scrapper director of photography Manning Walker accepting the award on an absent Regan’s behalf.
This year’s ceremony took place at Arena Berlin, and was hosted by German star Britta Steffenhagen. The 4,600 members of the European Film Academy (EFA) voted for the awards, representing 52 member countries, including non-European members Israel and Palestine.
Sombre notes of recognition were struck throughout the ceremony for the people living in academy member states enduring extraordinary hardship. “The war in Ukraine is still ravaging,” noted EFA president Agnieszka Holland in her opening address.
“What can European cinema do to make something better?” asked EFA chair Mike Downey. “We have Ukrainian members, we have Russian members, we have Israeli members, we have Palestinian members.”
Syrian Green Border actor Jalal Altawil paid an emotional tribute to Holland, the refugee drama’s director, while introducing the film’s nomination in the best director category : “You had the courage to tell my story, in a world where the far right is rising.”
She Said and Unorthodox German director Maria Schrader, who handed out the best director award to Triet for Anatomy Of A Fall, did so after reading out a poem she has been carrying around with her in recent weeks, Israeli poet Yehuda Amichai’s ‘The Place Where We Are Right’. “From the place where we are right, flowers will never grow,” she recited.
Hüller used her acceptance speech in the European actress category to invite the audience to engage in a moment of silence, in which to “imagine peace”. At a post-win Q&A, Hüller said she felt she had to do so “to remind people of where we are right now”, outside of the “bubble” of the film business.
Steffenhagen did an admirable job of peppering the ceremony with light relief, buoyed by a stunning live musical performance from Berlin multi-instrumentalist Philipp Johann Thimm.
Previously announced accolades included European Lifetime Achievement award for UK actor Vanessa Redgrave, who was not able to attend and accepted via video-link alongside her daughter, actor Joely Richardson; Spanish director Isabel Coixet landed the European Achievement in World Cinema prize and Lithuanian-based producer Uljana Kim was honoured with the Eurimages Co-Production Award. The Honorary Award of the Academy President and Board was given to Hungarian filmmaker Béla Tarr.
Coixet’s acceptance speech went down particularly well in the room: “I make films all around [the world] because early in my career I learned that behind a camera there are no borders, passports, flags or limits. I wish the world would be like this,” said Coixet.
“I want to dedicate this award to all the filmmakers in Europe who have been told they’re not Berlin enough, Cannes enough, Venice enough.
“Some people think this award looks like a sex toy,” she continued, turning her attention to the statuette. “Maybe next year the academy could put some batteries in it so it could be useful.”
Turkish philanthropist Güler Sabancı was honoured with this year’s sustainability award. The craft awards were announced in November, including two wins apiece for Nikolaj Arcel’s The Promised Land and J. A. Bayona’s Society Of The Snow.
European Film Awards 2023 winners
Winners in bold
European film
- Anatomy Of A Fall (Fr) dir. Justine Triet
- Fallen Leaves (Fin-Ger) dir. by Aki Kaurismäki
- Green Border (Pol-Fr-Cz-Bel) dir. by Agnieszka Holland
- Me Captain (Io Capitano) (It-Bel) dir. Matteo Garrone
- The Zone Of Interest (UK-Pol-US) dir. Jonathan Glazer
European actor
- Thomas Schubert, Afire
- Jussi Vatanen, Fallen Leaves
- Josh O’Connor, La Chimera
- Mads Mikkelsen, The Promised Land
- Christian Friedel, The Zone Of Interest
European actress
- Sandra Hüller, Anatomy Of A Fall
- Eka Chavleishvili, Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
- Alma Pöysti, Fallen Leaves
- Mia McKenna-Bruce, How To Have Sex
- Leonie Benesch,The Teachers’ Lounge
- Sandra Hüller, The Zone Of Interest
European director
- Justine Triet, Anatomy Of A Fall
- Aki Kaurismäki, Fallen Leaves
- Agnieszka Holland, Green Border
- Matteo Garrone, Me Captain
- Jonathan Glazer, The Zone Of Interest
European short film
- 27 (Fr-Hun) dir. Flóra Anna Buda
- Aqueronte (Sp) dir. Manuel Muñoz Rivas
- Flores Del Otro Patio (Switz-Col) dir. Jorge Cadena
- Hardly Working (Austria) dirs. Susanna Flock, Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner, Michael Stumpf
European young audience award
- Scrapper (UK) dir. Charlotte Regan
- Longing For The World (Switz) dir. Jenna Hasse
- One In A Million (Ger) dir. Joya Thome
European animated feature film
- A Greyhound Of A Girl (Lux-It-Ire-UK-Latvia-Est-Ger) dir. Enzo d’Alò
- Chicken For Linda! (Fr-It) dirs. Chiara Malta, Sébastien Laudenbach
- Robot Dreams (Sp-Fr) dir. Pablo Berger
- The Amazing Maurice (Ger-UK) dir. Toby Genkel
- White Plastic Sky (Hun-Slovakia) dirs.Tibor Bánóczki, Sarolta Szabó
European screenwriter
- Justine Triet and Arthur Harari, Anatomy Of A Fall
- Aki Kaurismäki, Fallen Leaves
- Maciej Pisuk, Gabriela Łazarkiewicz-Sieczko and Agnieszka Holland, Green Border
- İlker Çatak & Johannes Duncker, The Teachers’ Lounge
- Jonathan Glazer, The Zone Of Interest
European discovery – prix FIPRESCI
- 20,000 Species Of Bees (Sp) dir. Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren
- How To Have Sex (UK) dir. Molly Manning Walker
- La Palisiada (Ukr) dir. Philip Sotnychenko
- Safe Place (Cro-Slov) dir. Juraj Lerotić
- The Quiet Migration (Den) dir. Malene Choi
- Vincent Must Die (Fr-Bel) dir. Stéphan Castang
European documentary
- Apolonia, Apolonia (Den-Pol) dir. Lea Glob
- Four Daughters (Fr-Tun-Ger-Saudi) dir. Kaouther Ben Hania
- Motherland (Swe-Ukr-Nor) dir. Hanna Badziaka & Alexander Mihalkovich
- On The Adamant (Fr-Jap) dir. Nicolas Philibert
- Smoke Sauna Sisterhood (Est-Fr-Ice) dir. Anna Hints
European Film Awards craft winners (already announced)
- Cinematography – Rasmus Videbæk, The Promised Land
- Costume design – Kicki Ilander, The Promised Land
- Make-up and hair - Ana López-Puigcerver, Belén López-Puigcerver, David Martí and Montse Ribé, Society Of The Snow
- Visual Effects - Félix Bergés and Laura Pedro, Society Of The Snow
- Editing - Laurent Sénéchal, Anatomy Of A Fall
- Production design - Emita Frigato, La Chimera
- Original score - Markus Binder, Club Zero
- Sound - Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers, The Zone Of Interest
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