The 37th European Film Awards ceremony takes place this year in Lucerne. This is the first time that Switzerland hosts the ceremony. The nominees include two Polish productions: “The Girl with a Needle” by Magnus von Horn and “In Suspension” by Alina Maksimenko.
The European Film Awards are an annual distinction awarded by the European Film Academy, which currently has 5,400 members. The awards were established in 1988 and until 1996 were known as the Felix Awards. According to the assumptions of its originators, they were to be a counterweight to the American Oscars and become the main film award of united Europe. The first winner in the European Film category was Krzysztof Kieślowski, who was appreciated in 1988 for “A Short Film About Killing”.
This year, the Academy changed the rules of the awards, opening the European Film category to titles nominated in the European Animated Film and European Documentary Film categories. This way, not five but 15 titles were nominated in the most important category.
European Film Awards 2024. “The Girl with the Needle” and “In Suspension” with nominations
This year's list of nominees was published on November 5. It included two Polish productions. In the European Film category, a documentary film by Ukrainian filmmaker Alina Maksimenko, “In Suspension”, produced by Filip Marczewski, has a chance to win an award. “In Suspension” is also nominated in the European Documentary Film category.
The second nominated Polish co-production is “Girl with a Needle” directed by Polish-Swedish creator Mangus von Horn. Sam von Horn, together with Line Langebek, were nominated in the European Screenwriters category. The film's stars, Danish actresses Trine Dyrholm and Vic Carmen Sonne, were among the nominees in the European Actress category.
Trailer of the movie “The Girl with the Needle”The Match Factory
On November 13, the European Film Academy announced this year's winners in the Excellence Awards categories. These are awards that recognize outstanding film achievements in eight categories: European Cinematography, European Editing, European Scenography, European Costumes, European Make-up, European Composer, European Sound, European Special Effects. Unlike other categories, the winners are not decided by members of the Academy, but by a special eight-person jury. This year, two Excellence Awards went to the creators of “Girl with a Needle”: Jagna Dobesz for set design and Frederikke Hoffmeier for music.
The European Film Academy recognized two cinema legends with honorary awards this year. One of the most important German filmmakers in the history of cinema – Wim Wenders – is this year's winner of the EFA Lifetime Achievement Award. The Italian-American legend – actress Isabella Rossellini – will receive the European Achievements in World Cinema award.
Main photo source: Sebastian Gabsch/ddp images/Forum