European Film Academy

At the Norwegian Short Film Festival Grimstad the short documentary BETWEEN DREAMS by Iris Olsson (France/Russia/Finland 2008, 11′) was selected for a nomination for the European Film Academy Short Film 2009

Press release # 6/2009
EFA Think Tank THE IMAGE OF EUROPE with EU President Barroso Results in Filmmakers’ Call for Film Education in School
Twenty leading creators from the fields of film directing, writing, acting, production, distribution and education met with José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, to exchange their views on the impact [...]

Press release # 5/2009
The European Film Academy (EFA) and the Krakow Film Festival congratulate the

Krakow Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards 2009
POSTE RESTANTE
by Marcel Łoziński (Poland)

The film is now nominated for the European Film Academy Short Film 2009. The film was selected by the festival’s international jury.
Letters whose addresses are impossible [...]

Press release # 4/2009
New dates for Weekend Programme in the cities of Essen and Bochum: 11 and 12 December
On the occasion of the European Capital of Culture year RUHR.2010, this year’s 22nd European Film Awards will take place in Germany’s Ruhr area, a metropolitan region with 20 cities and around 10 million people right in [...]

Press release # 3/2009
The European Film Academy (EFA) and the Tampere Film Festival congratulate the
Tampere Short Film Nominee for the European Film Awards 2009
SZKLANA PULAPKA (The Glass Trap)
by Pawel Ferdek (Poland)
The film is now nominated for the European Film Academy Short Film 2009. The film was selected by the festival’s international jury consisting of Ngo [...]

Press release # 2/2009

Supported by Shorts International, programme now includes 15 festivals
SHORT MATTERS! is the European Film Academy’s short film tour which brings the short films nominated for the European Film Awards to a series of film festivals across Europe and beyond. As a new partner, world-wide short film distribution company Shorts [...]

The EFA Conference 2008 was dedicated to film comedies. Is there a topography of humour, a shared European quality that unites us in laughter? In other words: Can film comedies be cross-culturally funny, humorous or witty? WHAT MAKES EUROPE LAUGH?

Interview with Jürgen Vogel, actor, DIE WELLE

“But the problem if you talk about European film is that you don’t know what that means exactly…”

Interview with Paolo Sorrentino, director, and Andrea Occhipinti, producer, IL DIVO

“…Giulio Andreotti is the most important politician Italy has had in the last half century. The fascination lies in his ambiguity, and he is so psychologically complex that everyone has been intrigued by him over the years…”

Interview with Elmar Wepper, actor, KIRSCHBLÜTEN - HANAMI

“…it is horrible because in that scene you understand the big gap between parents and children, between human beings, and it is almost unbearable.”

Interview with Tuur Florizoone, composer, AANRIJDING IN MOSCOU:

My instrument is the accordion. I think Christophe asked me because of the accordion. It is an instrument where people can dream. Everybody has a grandfather or a friend [who plays it] or at least they know the instrument from the shopping streets…

Interview with Steve McQueen, director of HUNGER:

The reason for me to do the scene this way was to make it intimate. I wanted to push the audience away. Because what happens is that the eyes of the audience become much sharper and the ears become much more tuned in. You see the silhouettes, you can hardly see the expressions - but you are leaning in so you can better listen. That is why you stick to the scene.

Interview with Eran Riklis and Suha Arraf, screenwriters of LEMON TREE

- In 2008, you cannot really make political films. You have to make human films which deal with political issues. In this film the people find themselves as targets - they are in the middle of a political conflict. In the 1970s we had political films, today the world is too sophisticated, too well informed and also a little bit tired - no one really cares.
- I agree with you but at the same time all the movies in our category are political movies. To tell political stories is important. People want to see it and it sells.
- Yes, but no one wants to get educated.

Interview with Helena Trestikova, director of RENÉ

My topic is long-term observations. I have been making this kind of film for twenty years. I think I will call this method a connection between documentary and story. If I can observe someone through a longer time it means I can observe exactly what is special, what is unique about this person. My general idea is that every life is interesting. My aim is to find the special topic in this life - what is the key in this life? I look for the topic and my film is a result of this search. It is very interesting and a great adventure.

At the 21st European Film Awards on 6 December 208 in Copenhagen the following were honoured:
EUROPEAN FILM 2008
GOMORRA (Gomorrah)
directed by Matteo Garrone
written by Maurizio Bracci, Ugo Chiti, Gianni di Gregorio, Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso & Roberto Saviano
produced by Fandango, RAI Cinema
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2008
Matteo Garrone for GOMORRA (Gomorrah)
EUROPEAN ACTOR 2008
Toni Servillo in IL DIVO and in [...]

When the 1,400 guests for the 21st European Film Awards on 6 December arrive at the Copenhagen Forum, they will be welcomed by Danish TV star Mikael Bertelsen who will lead through the Awards Ceremony as host of the evening.
Throughout the evening, an impressive line-up of actors and actresses will enter the stage to present [...]

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions are pleased to announce
that the European Film Awards 2009 will take place in Essen in Germany’s
Ruhr Area* in North Rhine-Westphalia. The unique move is a change from
the regular system which brings the European Film Awards to Berlin, home
of the European Film Academy, every two years. In the years [...]

At the Seville European Film Festival the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announced the nominations for the 21st European Film Awards. The 1,800 EFA Members will now vote for the winners which will be presented during the Awards Ceremony on 6 December in Copenhagen.
Nominated are:
EUROPEAN FILM 2008

IL DIVO, Italy
written and directed by Paolo [...]

The European Film Academy proudly announces that the award
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2008 - Prix ARTE
goes to the film
RENÉ
by Helena Trestikova, Czech Republic
In co-operation with the European cultural channel ARTE, the European Film Academy annually honours an outstanding achievement in documentary filmmaking. The recipient of the award is chosen by an independent jury and this [...]

The European Film Academy proudly announces the nominations in the category EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2008 – PRIX ARTE. There is a total of ten documentary films nominated. This year’s documentary jury will now convene in Berlin to screen the nominated films and decide on the winner.
Appointed by the European Film Academy and ARTE, [...]