A jury of 35 film critics from 13 Latin American countries selected four finalists from 20 film entries for this year’s Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films, organised by European Film Promotion (EFP). As a result of a tie in the voting, this year’s shortlist comprises four films: Father by Tereza Nvotová, The Love That Remains by Hlynur Pálmason, Sound of Falling by Mascha Schilinski, and Sundays by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa.

Father is a drama about guilt, grief and the possibility of forgiveness after a tragic mistake shatters the life of a devoted husband and father. Tereza Nvotová describes her approach as deeply immersive: “What I wanted to do is something like a video game, but in very different circumstances that lead us deeper inside of ourselves. I wanted the audience to connect with the main character, immerse themselves in his world completely.” Father premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti and later receive a Special Mention in Warsaw, the Bronze Horse for Best Film in Stockholm and the Golden Eye Award for Best Feature in Zurich. The film is handled internationally by Intramovies.

The Love That Remains follows a family over the course of a year as the parents navigate separation, shared memories and the fragile ties that continue to bind them together. As Hlynur Pálmason says: “This film is about nature, about what we build, re-build or destroy, about what unites and divides us, miscommunication and conflicting feelings. But it is above all about family, that is the core of the film and its beating heart.” The Love That Remains world-premiered in Cannes’ Cannes Premiere section and went on to win awards such as the Cineuropa Award in Lecce. New Europe Film Sales handles world sales.

Sound of Falling follows four girls from different eras as the farm they live in changes over the course of a century, with echoes of the past resurface in the present, revealing buried fears and inherited trauma. Mascha Schilinski and her co-writer Louise Peter spent a summer on that farm, in which a photograph from around 1920 sparked their imagination and suggested the film’s central tension: the eerie coexistence of the everyday and the existential, of present lives and those that came before. Sound of Falling premiered in Cannes’ competition, where it received the Jury Prize ex aequo. The film is represented internationally by mk2 Films.

Sundays tells the story of a 17-year-old who reveals to her family that she feels increasingly drawn to God and is considering becoming a cloistered nun. Alauda Ruiz de Azúa has said that the film was born out of her fascination with ‘difficult dilemmas’ and from hearing, years ago, a similar story, which led her to explore why someone might turn away from the world just as adulthood begins. The film’s international sales are handled by Le Pacte.

In the next step, the 35 jury members from a pool of renowned film critics and journalists from 13 Latin American countries will choose the final winning film, which will be awarded on 18 April at the Guadalajara International Film Festival (FICG).

Launched in 2024, the Latin American Critics’ Award for European Films was created to strengthen the visibility and circulation of European cinema across Latin America while underlining the key role of critics and cultural journalists in championing arthouse film and fostering dialogue across borders. Previous winners include Eva Libertad’s Deaf in 2025 (read news) and İlker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge in 2024 (news).