12 December 2009
On the occasion of the European Capital of Culture year RUHR.2010 “Essen for the Ruhr”, this year’s 22nd European Film Awards took place in Germany’s Ruhr area, a metropolitan region with 53 cities and 5.3 million people right in the heart of Europe.
The weekend programme included two spectacular venues of historical dimension: Germany’s largest movie theatre, the Lichtburg in Essen, and the legendary Century Hall (Jahrhunderthalle), former gas power station of Bochum’s steel mills - where the heart of the industrial culture once beat.
On Friday, 11 December, nominees, EFA Members, invited guests and film fans from the region gathered at the Lichtburg (founded in 1928) for a film gala in honour of Ken Loach, recipient of the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award.
And on Saturday, 12 December, the industrial monument Jahrhunderthalle Bochum was the venue for the 22nd European Film Awards Ceremony. The ceremony is broadcast across Europe, check Broadcasters 2009 for details.
Lichtburg Essen (Picture: © Hanns-Peter Hüster)
The 22nd European Film Awards were presented by the European Film Academy and EFA Productions with the support of the European Capital of Culture RUHR.2010 “Essen for the Ruhr”, the Minister President and the Minister for Federal and European Affairs and the Media of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the Filmstiftung NRW.
