Right at the beginning of the award ceremony in Berlin, moderator Steven Gätjen stated bluntly that 2020 had been a “shitty year” for everyone. And he didn’t have to explain to anyone what he meant by that. Because the ceremonial awarding of the awards, which should actually have taken place in Iceland, had to be canceled due to Corona and relocated to Berlin, where a digital broadcast replaced the originally planned event. Gätjen also emphasized that despite all the challenges, numerous notable European films had been made, crossed borders and found ways to “explore topics in unexpected ways”.
In addition to the moderator, only the outgoing director of the European Film Academy (EFA) Marion Döring and still EFA president Wim Wenders, the new EFA president Agnieszka Holland and the chairman of the EFA board, Mike Downey, were able to be there live in the Futurium event room in Berlin. The nominated filmmakers and actors were also switched live.
A brilliant achievement for Denmark
The Danish director Thomas Vinterberg received both the first prize of the evening for the best director and the last prize for the best European film at the festive event for the film “Der Rausch”. In two other categories in which the film was nominated, it convinced the jury. The best screenplay, written by Tobias Lindholm, was recognized, as was the performance of Mads Mikkelsen in the leading male role, who was named best actor.
In his address, Mikkelsen said that he would share the award with the five other nominated men in the category and later turned to Vinterberg with the words: “Most of all, I share this award with you”.
The director, in turn, thanked his family and friends for helping him finish the film “during the most difficult time of my life”. He was not referring to Corona, but to the death of his 19-year-old daughter Ida, who died in a car accident in 2019. She loved this film, said Vinterberg, he completed it for her.
“Der Rausch” tells the story of a search for meaning by four teacher friends who are frustrated with their job. In order to have more fun in life, they decide to drink themselves a constant level of alcohol. But as expected, the experiment is doomed to failure.
Women in power
The German actress Paula Beer won the award for best actress for her performance in “Undine”. The film takes up the ancient myth of the water nymph of the same name and catapults it into contemporary Berlin. The film by director Christian Petzold, in which fantasy and thriller elements meet, was also nominated for best film.
The film “Sole” by the Italian director Carlo Sironi was awarded as the best debut. He tells the story of a young pregnant woman who wants to sell her child after the birth. Since the law doesn’t play along, she has to fake a relationship with a man she doesn’t even know.
But not only in the fictional world, women were the focus of the European Film Awards this year: Scottish director Mark Cousins received the award for “Innovative storytelling,” a category newly introduced this year. His 14-hour documentary “Women Make Film” illuminates the history of women in the film business. The documentary will do a lot to balance the imbalance between the sexes in the film industry, said Wim Wenders at the award ceremony. Despite a long delay in the technical transmission of his signal from Edinburgh, Cousins insisted on showing off his many tattoos with the names of the filmmakers who inspired him.
Change of direction
One or two tears also flowed at the award ceremony, as Director Marion Döring and President Wim Wenders, who had been with the event since the beginning of 1988, announced their retirement from top positions at the European Film Academy. In a recorded video message, Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked Döring and Wenders for their work and commitment to European cinema.
However, the new EFA President Agnieszka Holland emphasized that Wenders and Döring always have a home in the European Film Academy. She also announced that in her future work she would like to turn to Europe’s young talent – especially women.
The presentation of the European Film Prize is one of the most important events in the European film industry. More than 3800 members of the Film Academy vote each year on the numerous award winners.
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