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UDPATE: In a typically politically and socially conscious ceremony, the European Film Academy delivered its European Film Awards tonight. In Seville, Spain, Amira Casar hosted the ceremony in what she said was a European climate “resembling the 1930s.” It was a post-WW II movie that took the main prizes with Ida Oscar winner Pawel Pawlikowskis black-and-white romance drama Cold War scooping Best European Film, Director, Screenplay and Actress. On winning the main kudo, Pawlikowski said, “Thank God this kind of cinema is being made.” His film was notoriously left out of the Golden Globe Foreign Language category but is seen as the main threat to Roma at the Oscars.
Elsewhere this evening in Spain, Europa Europa Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland had a message: “Our freedom as artists and filmmakers is in danger. Our colleagues and friends are put behind bars. There is a growing disrespect for culture and artistic freedom… This threatens to scare artists into self-censorship… We must not let governments silence us.” She also had words of support for imprisoned filmmaker Oleg Sentsov and house-arrested Kirill Serebrennikov. “Anyone who is against the government ideology could be next in line,” she said.
The ceremony turned lighter as it drew on, with wins for some of the favorites going in. Cold Wars Kulig, who is seven months pregnant, didnt make it to Seville. Pawlikowski accepted the award on her behalf. Comedy film winner Armando Iannucci told the EFA audience, “Youre all very brave; this movie was banned in Russia so dont eat or touch anything.” The vocal anti-Brexiteer added he loves Europe. “Its a very good idea and this is a European film. Im Scottish/Italian, we shot in England, we were supported and financed by (Frances) Gaumont, we did post in Belgium and shot a bit in Ukraine and Moscow.” To the Russian ban, Iannucci offered a vocal raspberry.
Ralph Fiennes, who was on hand for the European Achievement in World Cinema Award, reflected on what it is “to consider oneself European.” There is, he said, “a crisis in Europe… Our feeling of shared history and shared wounds is being threatened by the discourse of division. It is depressing and distressing to witness the debate in my country about who we are in Europe… I believe filmmakers are unifiers whose work by definition is unifying and has to be to survive.”
The full list of tonights winners is below the initial post.
PREVIOUS: The 31st European Film Awards are taking place in Seville, Spain tonight. A Best Picture winner for Ida in 2014, Pawel Pawlikowski has Cold War in contention this evening, with the overall lead on nominations. The romance drama won the Best Director prize in Cannes, but was shockingly shut out from the recent Golden Globes roster for Best Foreign Language Film. Cold War, Polands Oscar hopeful this year, previously won the EFA for European Editor (Jarosław Kamiński) and is also mentioned in the Film, Screenwriting, Actress and Actor categories tonight.
Joining Cold War in the main race are a series of Oscar entries for the Best Foreign Language Film statue. They include Swedens wild Border from Ali Abbasi, Italys Dogman from Matteo Garrone and Belgiums Girl by Lukas Dhont. Alice Rohrwachers Cannes Screenplay winner, Happy As Lazzaro, is not an Oscar entry from Italy, but is also up for an EFA in the top category as well as for directing and screenwriting.
The European Film Academy has been somewhat predictive of the Foreign Language Oscar in recent years — when it comes to movies from the Continent (Ida, The Great Beauty, Amour). Last years winner was Ruben Ostlunds The Square which went on to an Oscar nomination, but did not take the ultimate prize — Sebastian Lelios A Fantastic Woman, from Chile, did.
Well update the winners below as they happen tonight:
EUROPEAN FILM
Cold War, dir: Pawel Pawlikowski
EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY
Bergman — A Year In A Life, dir: Jane Magnusson
EUROPEAN DIRECTOR
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
PEOPLES CHOICE AWARD
Call Me By Your Name, dir: Luca Guadagnino
EUROPEAN SHORT FILM
The Years, dir: Sara Fgaier
EUROPEAN COMEDY
The Death Of Stalin, dir: Armando Iannucci
EUROPEAN ACTRESS
Joanna Kulig, Cold War
EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER
Pawel Pawlikowski, Cold War
EUROPEAN ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2018
Another Day Of Life, dirs: Raul de la Fuente & Damian Nenow
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY – PRIX FIPRESCI
Girl, dir: Lukas Dhont
EUROPEAN ACTOR
Marcello Fonte, Dogman
EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD – PRIX EURIMAGES
Konstantinos Kontovrakis and Giorgos Karnavas
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