European Film Awards

The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most important is the Best Film. They are restricted to European cinema and European producers, directors and actors. The awards were officially also called the "Felix Awards" until 1997, in reference to the former award's trophy statuette, which was replaced by a feminine statuette.

Since 1997, the European Film Awards have been held in early- to mid-December. Hosting duties have alternated between Berlin, Germany in odd-numbered years and other European cities in even-numbered years. The 33rd European Film Awards were held on 12 December 2020 as a virtual ceremony. In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian films were excluded from the 2022 European Film Awards.

Awarding procedures
Feature films participating in the European Film Awards must be European feature-length fiction films intended for normal theatrical release which must have had their first official screening (be it at a festival or at a regular cinema) after 1 July of the year before. Based on a selection of approximately 40 films recommended for a nomination, the members of the European Film Academy vote for the nominations in the main categories, which are announced in early November at the Seville European Film Festival. Based on the nominations, the members of the European Film Academy then vote for the winners which are announced at the European Film Awards Ceremony in early December.

Controversies
The European Film Academy (EFA) Awards' Best Film winner, Melancholia became the third Lars von Trier film to win EFA's top award, following Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000) – this despite the fact that the filmmaker became embroiled in a nasty controversy after making jokes about Jews and Adolf Hitler at that year's Cannes Film Festival.

Eligibility
The criteria whereby a film qualifies as European are based upon the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production, Appendix II, issued by the Council of Europe. This definition might be extended for Israeli and Palestinian works and nationalities. A cinematographic work qualifies as European if it achieves at least 16 points (out of 21).

The European Film Academy uses a lower minimum of 13 points.

Host cities

 * undefinedEuropean Capital of Culture event

Up through the 2018 ceremony, 15 cities in 10 countries have hosted the contest. Berlin has been host 14 times, Potsdam 3 times, and Paris 2 times. Barcelona, Bochum, Copenhagen, Glasgow, London, Riga, Rome, Seville, Tallinn, Valletta, Warsaw, and Wroclaw, have each hosted once.

Current categories

 * Best Film
 * Best Comedy
 * European Discovery
 * Best Animated Feature Film
 * Best Short Film
 * Best Documentary Film
 * Best Director
 * Best Actor
 * Best Actress
 * Best Composer
 * Best Editor
 * Best Screenwriter
 * Best Production Designer
 * Best Cinematographer
 * Best European Co-Production
 * Best Sound Designer
 * Best Costume Designer
 * Best Makeup and Hairstyling
 * Best Visual Effects

Audience awards

 * Audience Award for Best Film
 * Young Audience Award
 * University Award (Student's Choice)

Special awards

 * Lifetime Achievement
 * Achievement in World Cinema

Defunct awards

 * Best Non-European Film
 * Best Young Film
 * Best Supporting Actor
 * Best Supporting Actress
 * Best Supporting Performance
 * Best Young Actor or Actress
 * People's Choice Award Best Actor
 * People's Choice Award Best Actress
 * People's Choice Award Best Director
 * Prix d'Excellence
 * Critics Award
 * Award of Merit
 * Honorary Award
 * Special Jury Award
 * European Cinema Society Special Award
 * Special Mention

Proposed awards

 * Best Animated Short Subject
 * Best Live Action Short Subject
 * Best Documentary Short Subject
 * Best Music Video
 * Best Cast
 * Best Action or Adventure Film
 * Best Sound Editing
 * Best Sound Mixing
 * Best Screenwriter - Adapted
 * Best Screenwriter - Original
 * Best Costume Designer in Contemporary Film
 * Best Costume Designer in Historic Film
 * Best Costume Designer in Unreal World (Sci-Fi/Fantasy) Film
 * Best Production Designer in Contemporary Film
 * Best Production Designer in Historic Film
 * Best Production Designer in Unreal World (Sci-Fi/Fantasy) Film
 * Best Makeup and Hairstylist in Contemporary Film
 * Best Makeup and Hairstylist in Historic Film
 * Best Makeup and Hairstylist in Unreal World (Sci-Fi/Fantasy) Film
 * Best Choreographer
 * Best Original Song
 * Best Poster
 * Best Stunt Ensemble
 * Best Actor – Series
 * Best Actress – Series
 * Best African Film
 * Best Latin American Film
 * Best North American Film
 * Best Asian Film
 * Best Middle East and North Africa Film
 * Best Australia and Pacific Film

Timeline

 * undefinedCategory included in the cumulative category named Award of Excellence or Artistic Contribution Achievement
 * undefinedCategory included in the Production Designer category
 * undefinedCritics choice transferred to European Discovery
 * undefinedPeople's Choice transferred to European Parliaments Lux Prize Audience Film Award

Films with multiple wins

 * 8 wins
 * The Favourite (2019)
 * 6 wins
 * Good Bye, Lenin! (2003)
 * The Ghost Writer (2010)
 * The Square (2017)
 * Cold War (2018+2019)
 * Anatomy of a Fall (2023)
 * 5 wins
 * Talk to Her (2002)
 * Caché (2005)
 * Volver (2006)
 * Gomorrah (2008)
 * Ida (2014)
 * Toni Erdmann (2016)
 * 4 wins
 * Open Doors (1990)
 * Toto the Hero (1991)
 * Dancer in the Dark (2000)
 * Amélie (2001)
 * Amour (2012)
 * The Great Beauty (2013)
 * Another Round (2020)
 * Quo Vadis, Aida? (2021+2022)
 * Triangle of Sadness (2022)
 * 3 wins
 * High Hopes (1989)
 * The Northerners (1992)
 * Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (1992)
 * Breaking the Waves (1996)
 * All About My Mother (1999)
 * Sunshine (1999)
 * Sophie Scholl – The Final Days (2005)
 * The Lives of Others (2006)
 * The White Ribbon (2009)
 * The King's Speech (2011)
 * Melancholia (2011)
 * Youth (2015)
 * Land of Mine (2016)
 * Dogman (2018)
 * Flee (2021)
 * The Promised Land (2023)