The 38th European Film Awards will be decided tonight in Berlin at the biggest celebration of Europe’s film industry.
Traditionally held in December, the European Film Academy has decided to stage this year’s edition now to better position the prize-giving ceremony in the international awards season.
Often dubbed ‘Europe’s equivalent of the Oscars’ both Joachim Trier’s family drama Sentimental Value and Óliver Laxe’s post-apocalyptic odyssey Sirāt have emerged as the frontrunners, with four nominations apiece.
Follow the awards live here on Euronews Culture.
Sentimental Value, which won last year’s Grand Prix in Cannes, is nominated in the Best European Film category, as well as Best Director for Joachim Trier, Best Actress for Renate Reinsve, Best Actor for Stellan Skarsgård, and Best Screenwriter for Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier.
All richly deserved, as the family drama features top-notch performances from both Reinsve and Skarsgård, as well as a script which explores dysfunctional family dynamics in a heartwrenching way.
In our review, we wrote: “Despite a predictable denouement you’ll have guessed by the end of the first act, Sentimental Value does come together as mature ode to trying one’s best and how, in some cases, life and art can converge to create something bigger.” Read the full review here.
Neck and neck with Sentimental Value is Sirāt, one of our favourite films of 2025 and the winner of Cannes’ Jury Prize. Óliver Laxe’s strange and spiritual odyssey is nominated for Best European Film, Best Director, Best Actor for Sergi López, and Best Screenwriter for Santiago Fillol and Laxe.
In our review, we wrote: “Whether you’re completely on board with the trip to oblivion or the ambitious swings Sirāt takes, Laxe conjures such a dizzying and invigorating trance that you’re sure to take this film home with you. Its impact will reverberate in your mind and bones.” Read the full review here.
Elsewhere, Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just An Accident has three nominations, including Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenwriter for Panahi. The Sound of Falling also has three nods: Best Film, Best Director for Mascha Schilinski and Best Screenwriter for Schilinski and Louise Peter.
Fifteen features will compete for the Best European Film prize, following a rule change meaning that films shortlisted for the Best Documentary and Best Animation categories can also compete for the top prize.
Oscar-nominated Norwegian actress and director Liv Ullmann (Persona, Scenes From A Marriage) will receive a lifetime achievement honour at next year’s EFAs, while Italian director Alice Rohrwacher (La Chimera, Happy as Lazzaro) will be honoured with the European Achievement in World Cinema Award.
Here are the EFA 2026 nominations in full:
Best European Film
Best European Documentary
Best European Animated Feature Film
Best European Director
European Actress
European Actor
European Screenwriter
European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI
European Young Audience Award