07/11/2023 - Jonathan Glazer's and Aki Kaurismäki's films are the frontrunners in a tight competition, up against other titles such as Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall and Agnieszka Holland’s Green Border

The European Film Academy has revealed the nominees for the main categories of the 36th European Film Awards, which will be handed out at a ceremony taking place on 9 December in Berlin.

Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], both two of the main winners at this year’s Cannes Film Festival (having scooped the Grand Jury Prize and the Jury Prize, respectively), are the frontrunners for this year’s edition, with five nominations apiece, including European Film and Director. The chilling portrait of the life of a commandant at Auschwitz and his family in a house next to the camp, and the charming old-school romance between two workers, as opposite as two stories can be, have convinced the voters of the academy, who picked them from among a selection of previously announced films (see the news and the article).

Not far behind is Justine Triet’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile], which landed four nominations, including European Film and Director, and Agnieszka Holland’s Venice Jury Prize winner Green Border [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. Even if they are not the most-nominated films, both could very well end up being the main winner at this edition, given the success they have both enjoyed not only among professionals, but also among audiences after their theatrical releases. The five favourites are rounded off by Matteo Garrone’s Venice Best Director winner Me Captain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], with two nominations.

In the acting categories, Sandra Hüller reigns supreme with not one but two nominations, for her brilliant turns in both The Zone of Interest and Anatomy of a Fall. Alongside her, there are some welcome surprises from smaller films like Mia Mckenna-Bruce for her work in Molly Manning Walker’s Cannes Un Certain Regard winner How To Have Sex [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Molly Manning Walker
film profile] and Eka Chavleishvili for her work in Elene Naveriani’s Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Elene Naveriani
film profile]. There is some star power to be found in the male category, with Josh O'Connor and Mads Mikkelsen popping up for their acting chops in La Chimera [+see also:
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trailer
film profile] and The Promised Land [+see also:
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trailer
film profile], respectively.

The European Documentary section includes Nicolas Philibert’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner On the Adamant [+see also:
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interview: Nicolas Philibert
film profile], as well as Kaouther Ben Hania’s Cannes Golden Eye winner Four Daughters [+see also:
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interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile], while the always interesting European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI category, presented in co-operation with FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) to a first feature film and selected by a committee composed of members of the federation and experts appointed by the European Film Academy, includes Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren’s Berlinale Best Leading Performance winner 20,000 Species of Bees [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Estíbaliz Urresola
film profile] and Juraj Lerotić’s Locarno First Feature Award victor and Heart of Sarajevo winner Safe Place [+see also:
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trailer
interview: Juraj Lerotić
film profile], as well as Molly Manning Walker’s Cannes Un Certain Regard laureate How To Have Sex.

All five LUX Audience Award nominees (see the news) pop up on the list of nominees, from Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers' Lounge [+see also:
film review
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interview: İlker Çatak
interview: Leonie Benesch
film profile] (in the European Actress and European Screenwriter categories) to Anna Hints’ Smoke Sauna Sisterhood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anna Hints
film profile] (in the European Documentary category), via the aforementioned Fallen Leaves, On the Adamant and 20,000 Species of Bees. As a reminder, last year’s nominees were announced during the European Film Awards ceremony, but next year’s European elections pushed this forward.

Here is the list of the 2023 nominees:

European Film
Anatomy of a Fall [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Justine Triet
film profile] - Justine Triet (France)
Fallen Leaves [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Aki Kaurismäki (Finland/Germany)
Green Border [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Agnieszka Holland (Poland/France/Czech Republic/Belgium)
Me Captain [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Matteo Garrone (Italy/Belgium)
The Zone of Interest [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Jonathan Glazer (UK/Poland/USA)

European Documentary
Apolonia, Apolonia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lea Glob
film profile] - Lea Glob (Denmark/Poland)
Four Daughters [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] - Kaouther Ben Hania (France/Tunisia/Germany/Saudi Arabia)
Motherland [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] - Hanna Badziaka & Alexander Mihalkovich (Sweden/Ukraine/Norway)
On the Adamant [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicolas Philibert
film profile] - Nicolas Philibert (France/Japan)
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Anna Hints
film profile] - Anna Hints (Estonia/France/Iceland)

European Director
Justine Triet - Anatomy of a Fall
Aki Kaurismäki - Fallen Leaves
Agnieszka Holland - Green Border
Matteo Garrone - Me Captain
Jonathan Glazer - The Zone of Interest

European Actress
Sandra Hüller - Anatomy of a Fall
Eka Chavleishvili - Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elene Naveriani
film profile] (Georgia/Switzerland)
Alma Pöysti - Fallen Leaves
Mia Mckenna-Bruce - How To Have Sex [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Molly Manning Walker
film profile] (UK/Greece/Belgium)
Leonie Benesch - The Teachers' Lounge [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: İlker Çatak
interview: Leonie Benesch
film profile] (Germany)
Sandra Hüller - The Zone of Interest

European Actor
Thomas Schubert - Afire [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Christian Petzold
film profile] (Germany)
Jussi Vatanen - Fallen Leaves
Josh O'Connor - La Chimera [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Italy/Switzerland/France)
Mads Mikkelsen - The Promised Land [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Denmark/Germany/Sweden)
Christian Friedel - The Zone of Interest

European Screenwriter
Justine Triet & Arthur Harari - Anatomy of a Fall
Aki Kaurismäki - Fallen Leaves
Maciej Pisuk, Gabriela Łazarkiewicz-Sieczko & Agnieszka Holland - Green Border
Ilker Çatak & Johannes Duncker - The Teachers' Lounge
Jonathan Glazer - The Zone of Interest

European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI
20,000 Species of Bees [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Estíbaliz Urresola
film profile] - Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren (Spain)
How To Have Sex - Molly Manning Walker
La Palisiada [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Philip Sotnychenko
film profile] - Philip Sotnychenko (Ukraine)
Safe Place [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Juraj Lerotić
film profile] - Juraj Lerotić (Croatia/Slovenia)
The Quiet Migration [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Malene Choi
film profile] - Malene Choi (Denmark)
Vincent Must Die [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stéphan Castang
film profile] - Stéphan Castang (France/Belgium)