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EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2018

Europe warms to Cold War at the EFAs

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- Pawel Pawlikowski has won out over his rivals at the European Film Academy’s awards ceremony, as he did previously with Ida

Europe warms to Cold War at the EFAs
Pawel Pawlikowski during the European Film Awards ceremony

Unsurprising. That’s the perfect adjective to describe the prize-giving ceremony for the 31st European Film Awards, which were handed out in the beautiful, warm and welcoming Spanish city of Seville on Saturday 15 December. There, Polish filmmaker Pawel Pawlikowski – who also triumphed in these same categories with his previous feature, 2013’s Ida [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile
]
 – not only picked up the European Film and European Director Awards, but his latest oeuvre, the Polish-French-British co-production Cold War [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile
]
, also prevailed over its competitors by taking home the Awards for European Screenplay (written by the director himself), European Actress (Joanna Kulig, who was in Hollywood this weekend but sent a message of thanks read out by the filmmaker) and European Editor.

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Host country Spain had to be content with only one of the three trophies it was vying for: European Animation, for the co-production with Poland, Belgium, Germany and Hungary Another Day of Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Raul de la Fuente
film profile
]
, directed by Raúl de la Fuente and Damian Nenow. Italy scooped three prizes: European Actor, for Marcello Fonte and his disturbing work – already lavished with praise at Cannes – on Matteo Garrone’s co-production with France Dogman [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile
]
; European Short Film for The Years by Sara Fgaier (a title co-produced with France); and the People’s Choice Award for Call Me by Your Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Luca Guadagnino
film profile
]
(Italy/France/USA/Brazil) by Luca Guadagnino. European Documentary went to Sweden for Bergman – A Year in a Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jane Magnusson
film profile
]
 by Jane Magnusson.

The European Comedy category saw the British-French co-production The Death of Stalin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Armando Iannucci claim victory, while Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lukas Dhont
film profile
]
 (Belgium/Netherlands) by young helmer Lukas Dhont picked up the European Discovery – FIPRESCI Award.

The honourees at this edition also came up on stage at the Maestranza Theatre in Seville to collect their honorary prizes in person: British actor Ralph Fiennes (whom actress Victoria Abril confessed she had been in love with ever since she saw him in The English Patient, as she handed him his trophy); Greek-French filmmaker Costa-Gavras, who spoke up in support of the unity of the continent and the acceptance of others in his speech; and “the queen of European film”, as defined by Wim Wenders, Madrilenian actress Carmen Maura, who, with her cheeky, touching and entertaining speech – in which she spoke a mixture of English, French and Spanish – prompted smiles and applause, and won the hearts of the audience in attendance.

Greece’s Konstantinos Kontovrakis and Giorgos Karnavas (from the company Heretic) attended the European Film Academy’s prize-giving ceremony to pick up the trophy for European Co-producers, which they dedicated to their audience, their team and Eurimages.

The ceremony, which lasted almost three hours, included numerous musical acts that drew inspiration from the region of Andalusia, all of which were performed on a stage that also featured the counter of a bar, where presenters and award winners alike came to drink and chat. Later on, Spanish actors Rossy de Palma and Carlos Areces (who deejayed at the party that followed the gala ceremony, which carried on until the wee hours of the morning) successfully turned the bar into a disco as they prepared the way for Carmen Maura’s honorary award.

Here is the complete list of winners:

European Film
Cold War [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Pawel Pawlikowski
film profile
]
 – Pawel Pawlikowski (Poland/UK/France)

European Documentary
Bergman - A Year in a Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jane Magnusson
film profile
]
 - Jane Magnusson (Sweden)

European Director
Pawel Pawlikowski - Cold War

European Actress
Joanna Kulig - Cold War

European Actor
Marcello Fonte - Dogman [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Matteo Garrone
film profile
]
 (Italy/France)

European Screenplay
Pawel Pawlikowski – Cold War

European Comedy
The Death of Stalin [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 - Armando Iannucci (UK/France)

European Animated Feature Film
Another Day of Life [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Raul de la Fuente
film profile
]
 - Raul de la Fuente & Damian Nenow (Poland/Spain/Belgium/Germany/Hungary)

European Discovery - Prix FIPRESCI
Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lukas Dhont
film profile
]
 – Lukas Dhont (Belgium/Netherlands)

People's Choice Award
Call Me by Your Name [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Luca Guadagnino
film profile
]
 - Luca Guadagnino (Italy/France/USA/Brazil)

European Short Film
The Years – Sara Fgaier (Italy/France)

Previously announced winners:

European Cinematographer - Prix Carlo di Palma
Martin Otterbeck - U - July 22 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Erik Poppe
film profile
]
 (Norway)

European Editor
Jarosław Kamiński - Cold War

European Production Designer
Andrey Ponkratov - Leto (The Summer) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ilya Stewart
film profile
]
 (Russia/France)

European Costume Designer
Massimo Cantini Parrini - Dogman

European Hair & Make-Up Artist
Dalia Colli, Lorenzo Tamburini & Daniela Tartari - Dogman

European Composer
Christoph M. Kaiser & Julian Maas - 3 Days in Quiberon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emily Atef
film profile
]
 (Germany/Austria/France)

European Sound Designer
André Bendocchi-Alves & Martin Steyer - The Captain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Robert Schwentke
film profile
]
 (Germany/France/Poland)

European Visual Effects Supervisor
Peter Hjorth - Border [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ali Abbasi
film profile
]
(Sweden/Denmark)

Eurimages Co-Production Award
Konstantinos Kontovrakis, Giorgos Karnavas

Honorary Award of the EFA President and Board
Costa-Gavras

European Achievement in World Cinema Award
Ralph Fiennes

Lifetime Achievement Award
Carmen Maura

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(Translated from Spanish)

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