34th European Film Awards

34th European Film Awards
Date11 December 2021
SiteBerlin, Germany
Hosted byAnnabelle Mandeng
Organized byEuropean Film Academy
Official websiteEFA
Highlights
Most awardsFlee (3)
Most nominationsQuo Vadis, Aida? and Titane (5)

The 34th European Film Awards were presented in Berlin, Germany on 11 December 2021. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the awards went ahead without an in person audience, taking the form of a hybrid event, including pre-produced and live online.

Selection

Feature Film

The first part of the selection of feature films announced on August 24, 2021.

Documentary

The selection of 15 documentary films was announced on August 24, 2021.

Short Film

The European Short Film 2021 is presented in co-operation with the following European film festivals (due to the COVID-19 pandemic the list of festivals as well as the dates of the festivals are subject to change – festivals might also be held online). The participating festival choose one candidate each and later nominate five short films for the main prize.

  • 10–16 October 2020: International Short Film Festival of Cyprus () - The News (dir. Lorin Terezi)
  • 15–25 October 2020: Riga International Film Festival () - Push This Button If You Begin to Panic (dir. Gabriel Böhmer)
  • 19–25 October 2020: Uppsala Short Film Festival () - Maalbeek (dir. Ismaël Joffroy Chandoutis)
  • 24–31 October 2020: Valladolid International Film Festival () - The Martyr (dir. Fernando Pomares)
  • 3–8 November 2020: Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur () - Dustin (dir. Naïla Guiguet)
  • 4–15 November 2020: Cork International Film Festival () - Blue Fear (dir. Marie Jacotey & Lola Halifa-Legrand)
  • 17–25 November 2020: Black Nights Film Festival – PÖFF Shorts () - Precious (dir. Paul Mas)
  • 5–12 December 2020: Leuven International Short Film Festival () - Marlon Brando (dir. Vincent Tilanus)
  • 29 January - 6 February 2021: Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival () - Beyond is the Day (dir. Damian Kocur) (
  • 1–7 February 2021: International Film Festival Rotterdam () - Flowers Blooming in Our Throats (dir. Eva Giolo)
  • 1–5 March 2021: Berlin International Film Festival () - Easter Eggs (dir. Nicolas Keppens)
  • 10–14 March 2021: Tampere Film Festival () - Mission: Hebron (dir. Rona Segal)
  • 14–18 April 2021: Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen () - The Natural Death of a Mouse (dir. Katharina Huber)
  • 27 May - 6 June 2021: VIENNA SHORTS – International Short Film Festival () - Bella (dir. Thelyia Petraki)
  • 30 May - 6 June 2021: Krakow Film Festival () - Hide (dir. Daniel Gray)
  • 1–7 June 2021: Kurzfilm Festival Hamburg () - Minnen (dir. Kristin Johannessen)
  • 6–17 July 2021: Festival de Cannes () - Displaced (dir. Samir Karahoda)
  • 16–25 July 2021: Curtas Vila do Conde – International Film Festival () - Vo (dir. Nicolas Gourault)
  • 27–31 July 2021: Motovun Film Festival () - Armadila (dir. Gorana Jovanović)
  • 4–14 August 2021: Locarno Film Festival () - In Flow of Words (dir. Eliane Esther Bots)
  • 13–20 August 2021: Sarajevo Film Festival () - My Uncle Tudor (dir. Olga Lucovnicova)
  • 30 August - 5 September 2021: OFF – Odense International () - The Long Goodbye (dir. Aneil Karia)
  • 1–11 September 2021: Venice Film Festival () - Fall of the Ibis King (dir. Mikai Geronimo & Josh O'Caoimh)
  • 18–25 September 2021: Encounters Film Festival () - Zonder Meer (dir. Meltse Van Coillie)
  • 19 - 25 September 2021: Drama International Short Film Festival () - Nha Sunhu (dir. José Magro)

Feature Films Awards

Nominations were announced on November 9, 2021.

Best Film

English title Director(s) Producer(s) Country Language
Compartment No. 6 Juho Kuosmanen Jussi Rantamäki, Riina Sildos, Jamila Wenske, Melanie Blocksdorf, Natalia Drozd-Makan, Sergey Selyanov / / / Russian, Finnish
The Father Florian Zeller Philippe Carcassonne, Jean-Louis Livi, David Parfitt / English
The Hand of God Paolo Sorrentino Paolo Sorrentino, Lorenzo Mieli Italian
Quo Vadis, Aida? Jasmila Žbanić Damir Ibrahimović, Jasmila Žbanić / / / / / / / / Bosnian, English, Dutch, Serbian
Titane Julia Ducournau Jean-Christophe Reymond, Amaury Ovise, Jean-Yves Roubin, Cassandre Warnauts / French

EFA Excellence Awards

The winners were announced on November 16, 2021. The members of the jury were Camilla Hjelm, Matt Kasmir, Jelena Maksimovic, Ursula Patzak, Célia Sayaphoum, Francis "Kiko" Soeder, Başar Ünder and Leendert van Nimwegen.

Film Awards Not Based on a Feature Film Selection

Source:

European Comedy

The award is presented to the director of a feature-length European comedy intended for theatrical release.

English title Director(s) Country Language
The Morning After Méliane Marcaggi French
Ninjababy Yngvild Sve Flikke Norwegian
The People Upstairs Cesc Gay Spanish

European Discovery - Prix FIPRESCI

In co-operation with FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics, the award is presented to a director for his/her first full-length European feature film intended for theatrical release. The nominees were announced on 12 October 2021. The 2021 nominations were determined by a committee consisting of European Film Academy Board Members Anita Juka (Croatia) and Joanna Szymańska (Poland), producer/screenwriter Paula Alvarez Vaccaro (UK, Italy), producer Vladimer Katcharava (Georgia) as well as film critics Marta Bałaga (Finland, Poland), Janet Baris (Turkey), Andrei Plakhov (Russia), Frédéric Ponsard (France) and Britt Sørensen (Norway) as representatives of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics.

Director(s) English title
Dea Kulumbegashvili Beginning
Valdimar Jóhannsson Lamb
Laura Wandel Playground
Ninja Thyberg Pleasure
Emerald Fennell Promising Young Woman
Philipp Yuryev The Whaler Boy

European Documentary

The award is presented to the director of a European documentary film intended for theatrical release.

English title Director(s) Country Language
Babi Yar. Context Sergei Loznitsa / Ukrainian, Russian, German, Polish
Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen / / / Danish, English, Dari, Russian, Swedish
The Most Beautiful Boy in the World Kristina Lindström & Kristian Petri English, French, Italian, Japanese, Swedish
Mr Bachmann and His Class Maria Speth German
Taming the Garden Salomé Jashi / / Georgian

European Animated Feature Film

In co-operation with CARTOON, the European Association of Animation Film, the award is presented to the director of a European animated feature film intended for theatrical release.

English title Director(s) Country Language
The Ape Star Linda Hambäck / / Swedish
Even Mice Belong in Heaven Denisa Grimmová & Jan Bubenícek / / / Czech
Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen / / / Danish, English, Dari, Russian, Swedish
Where Is Anne Frank Ari Folman / / / / English
Wolfwalkers Tomm Moore & Ross Stewart / / English

European Short Film

The award is presented to the director of a European short film. The final five short films were nominated from the final list by the participating festivals.

English title Director(s) Country Language
Bella Thelyia Petraki Greek
Displaced Samir Karahoda Albanian
Easter Eggs Nicolas Keppens / / Dutch
In Flow of Words Eliane Esther Bots -
My Uncle Tudor Olga Lucovnicova / / / Romanian, Russian

Honorary Awards

EFA Lifetime Achievement Award European Achievement in World Cinema EFA Award for Innovative Storytelling Eurimages Co-Production Award European Sustainability Award - Prix Film4Climate
Maria Ekerhovd
not awarded

Audience Awards

Lux Audience Award

English title Director(s) Country Language
Quo Vadis, Aida? Jasmila Žbanić Bosnia and Herzegovina / Austria / Netherlands / France / Poland/ Norway / Germany / Romania / Turkey Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, English, Dutch, Serbian
Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen Denmark / France / Sweden / Norway Danish, English, Dari, Russian, Swedish
Great Freedom Sebastian Meise Austria / Germany German, English


European University Film Award (EUFA)

Presented in co-operation with Filmfest Hamburg, the award actively involves university students, spreads the “European idea” and transports the spirit of European cinema to an audience group of 20-29-year-olds. It also supports film dissemination, film education and the culture of debating. Based on the Feature Film Selection 2021 and the Documentary Selection 2021 Filmfest Hamburg and EFA nominate five films. They are later viewed in non-commercial closed jury sessions and discussed at the participating universities. The students at each institution select their favourite film. The nominations were announced on 28 September 2021.

English title Director(s) Country Language
Apples Christos Nikou / / Greek, English
Flee Jonas Poher Rasmussen / / / Danish, English, Dari, Russian, Swedish
Great Freedom Sebastian Meise / German
Happening Audrey Diwan French
Quo Vadis, Aida? Jasmila Žbanić / / / / / / / / Serbo-Croatian, Bosnian, English, Dutch, Serbian