12/11/2013 - Felix Van Groeningen’s film vies for five awards; Paolo Sorrentino’s La grande bellezza follows with four nominations

The EFA has finally announced the nominees por the European Film Awards. Belgian filmmaker Felix van Groeningen’s festival and box office hit The Broken Circle Breakdown [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Felix van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
interview: Felix Van Groeningen
film profile] (photo) tops the list of candidates with no less than five nominations, including Best Film, Director and Screenplay, as well as two acting nominations for leads Veerle Baekens and Johan Heldenbergh.

Paolo Sorrentino’s journey through Rome La grande bellezza [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paolo Sorrentino
film profile] follows closely, with four nominations: Best Film, Director and Screenplay, as well as Bets Actor, for Toni Servillo. Giuseppe Tornatore’s The Best Offer [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], François Ozon’s In the House [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile],  Joe Wright’s Anna Karenina [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and Jan Ole Gerster’s Oh Boy [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jan Ole Gerster
film profile] have all garnered three nominations.

Abdellatif Kechiche’s Golden Palm winner Blue is the Warmest Colour [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Abdellatif Kechiche
film profile] vies for only two awards, although the most important ones, Best Film and Director, just like Pablo Berger’s successful Blancanieves [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pablo Berger
film profile]. Surprisingly, Blue leads are nowhere to be found in the acting categories, unlike names such as Naomi Watts, Luminita Gheorghiu and Barbara Sukowa – female category - and Fabrice Luchini and Jude Law –male category-.

This year’s edition is the first one to have a Best Comedy category, with Pedro Almodóvar’s I’m So Excited [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Susanne Bier’s Love is All You Need [+see also:
trailer
film profile] in the run.

Here is the complete list of nominees: 

EUROPEAN FILM

Blue is the Warmest Colour, Abdellatif Kechiche

The Best Offer, Giuseppe Tornatore

Blancanieves, Pablo Berger

The Broken Circle Breakdown, Felix van Groeningen

La grande bellezza, Paolo Sorrentino

Oh Boy, Jan Ole Gerster

EUROPEAN COMEDY

I’m So Excited, Pedro Almodóvar

Love is All You Need, Susanne Bier

The Priest’s Children [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Vinko Bresan
film profile], Vinko Brešan

Welcome Mr. President! [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Riccardo Milani

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR

Pablo Berger, for Blancanieves

Abdellatif Kechiche, for Blue is the Warmest Colour

François Ozon, for In the House

Paolo Sorrentino, for La grande bellezza

Giuseppe Tornatore, for The Best Offer

Felix van Groeningen, for The Broken Circle Breakdown

EUROPEAN ACTRESS

Veerle Baetens, for The Broken Circle Breakdown

Luminita Gheorghiu, for Child’s Pose [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Calin Peter Netzer
film profile]

Keira Knightley, for Anna Karenina

Barbara Sukowa, for Hannah Arendt [+see also:
trailer
interview: Margarethe von Trotta
film profile]

Naomi Watts, for The Impossible [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juan Antonio Bayona
film profile]

EUROPEAN ACTOR

Johan Heldenbergh, for The Broken Circle Breakdown

Jude Law, for Anna Karenina

Fabrice Luchini, for In the House

Tom Schilling, for Oh Boy

Toni Servillo, for La grande bellezza

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER

François Ozon, for In the House

Paolo Sorrentino & Umberto Contarello, for La grande bellezza

Tom Stoppard, for Anna Karenina

Giuseppe Tornatore, for The Best Offer

Felix van Groeningen & Carl Joos, for The Broken Circle Breakdown

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY – FIPRESCI PRIZE

Call Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Mikael Marcimain

Eat Sleep Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: China Ahlander
interview: Gabriela Pichler
interview: Nermina Lukac
film profile], Gabriela Pichler

Miele [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Valeria Golino
interview: Valeria Golino
film profile], Valeria Golino

Oh Boy [+see also:
trailer
interview: Jan Ole Gerster
film profile], Jan Ole Gerster

The Plague [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Neus Ballús

EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY

The Act of Killing [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Joshua Oppenheimer

The Missing Picture [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Rithy Panh

Stop-Over [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Kaveh Bakhtiari

EUROPEAN ANIMATED FEATURE FILM

The Congress [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], Ari Folman

Jasmine [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Alain Ughetto

Pinocchio [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Enzo D'Alò
film profile], Enzo d’Alò

This year, winners in the technical categories have already been unveiled (news). The awards ceremony will take place in Berlin on December 7.