26/11/2025 - The films by Óliver Laxe, Mascha Schilinski and Yorgos Lanthimos lead the nominees in the awards’ technical categories, with five nods each

Sirāt by Óliver Laxe, Sound of Falling by Mascha Schilinski and Bugonia by Yorgos Lanthimos

A few days after the announcement of the nominees in the main categories (see the news), the European Film Academy has revealed those in the Arts & Crafts categories - eight sections conceived to honour the diverse crafts of filmmaking at the upcoming 38th European Film Awards, which will take place on 17 January 2026 in Berlin.

Known until last year as the Excellence Awards, for which a winner was directly decided by the committees selected by the Academy, these technical categories have now been reintegrated into the main structure of the European Film Awards, with three nominees selected by the member chapters for each department introduced this year, and a winner set to be determined by all Academy members, alongside those in the main categories.

While Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] emerged as the leading nominee in the main categories, two of those categories' runners-up lead the race in these strands. Both Óliver Laxe’s Sirāt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile] and Mascha Schilinski’s Sound of Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mascha Schilinski
film profile], which received four and three nominations, respectively, in the main categories, are now vying for five Arts & Crafts awards. Sirāt will duke it out in European Cinematographer (Mauro Herce), European Editor (Cristóbal Fernández), European Production Designer, European Sound Designer and European Casting Director, while Sound of Falling is in the running for European Cinematographer (Fabian Gamper), European Composer (Michael Fiedler and Eike Hosenfeld), European Costume Designer, European Make-up & Hair Artist and European Casting Director.

However, there is a third film that received one only nomination in the main categories (for European Director) that is now leading the race alongside these two: Yorgos Lanthimos’ Bugonia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]. The Greek filmmaker’s new effort is now nominated for European Composer (Jerskin Fendrix), European Editor (Yorgos Mavropsaridis), European Make-up & Hair Artist, European Production Designer and European Sound Designer.

Following closely behind just so happens to be Sentimental Value, which is vying for three statuettes, including European Composer (Hania Rani), European Production Designer and European Casting Director.

The other nominated titles are Agnieszka Holland’s Franz [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agnieszka Holland
film profile], vying for two awards, and Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Voice of Hind Rajab [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile], Pietro Marcello’s Duse [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Marcello
film profile], François Ozon’s The Stranger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: François Ozon
film profile] and Lynne Ramsay’s Die My Love [+see also:
film review
film profile], in the running for one prize apiece.

Here is the list of nominees:

European Casting Director
Nadia Acimi, Luís Bértolo, María Rodrigo – Sirāt [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Óliver Laxe
film profile] (Spain/France)
Karimah El-Giamal, Jacqueline Rietz – Sound of Falling [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mascha Schilinski
film profile] (Germany)
Yngvill Kolset Haga, Avy Kaufman – Sentimental Value [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joachim Trier
film profile] (Norway/France/Denmark/Germany)

European Cinematographer
Manu Dacosse – The Stranger [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: François Ozon
film profile] (France)
Fabian Gamper – Sound of Falling
Mauro Herce – Sirāt

European Composer (Original Score)
Jerskin Fendrix – Bugonia [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Ireland/UK/USA/South Korea)
Michael Fiedler, Eike Hosenfeld – Sound of Falling
Hania Rani – Sentimental Value

European Costume Designer
Michaela Horáčková Hořejší – Franz [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agnieszka Holland
film profile] (Czech Republic/Germany/Poland/France)
Sabrina Krämer – Sound of Falling
Ursula Patzak – Duse [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pietro Marcello
film profile] (Italy/France)

European Editor
Cristóbal Fernández – Sirāt
Toni Froschhammer – Die My Love [+see also:
film review
film profile] (USA/Canada/UK)
Yorgos Mavropsaridis – Bugonia

European Make-up & Hair Artist
Gabriela Poláková – Franz
Irina Schwarz, Anne-Marie Walther – Sound of Falling
Torsten Witte – Bugonia

European Production Designer
Laia Ateca – Sirāt
James Price – Bugonia
Jørgen Stangebye Larsen – Sentimental Value

European Sound Designer
Johnnie Burn – Bugonia
Laia Casanovas – Sirāt
Gwennolé Le Borgne, Marion Papinot, Lars Ginzel, Elias Boughedir, Amal Attia - The Voice of Hind Rajab [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile] (Tunisia/France)