European Film Awards shortlist revealed

The European Film Academy has announced the films selected to compete for the European Film Awards, with a total of 68 feature films from 40 European countries shortlisted for the 39th edition of the awards, which will take place on 16 January 2027 in Athens.

Categories and selection process

The shortlisted films include 45 fiction features, 15 documentaries, and eight animated features. Twenty-five of the shortlisted films are directed or co-directed by women. The fiction and documentary shortlists were chosen by members of the European Film Academy board and invited European experts, while the animated features were selected by a committee composed of Academy board members and invited experts in collaboration with CARTOON, the European Association of Animation Film.

Voting and special categories

The European Film Academy's 5,700 members will watch the shortlisted films and vote on the nominees, with the exception of the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI, European Short Film, European Young Audience Award, LUX Audience Award, and Honorary Awards, which follow separate selection procedures.

Announcement dates for special categories

The nominations for the European Young Audience Award will be announced at the International Film Festival Glasgow on 1 November, while the nominations for European Short Film will be revealed at the Seville European Film Festival on 13 November, and the nominees for the LUX Audience Award will be unveiled on 25 November.

Animation shortlist

The animation shortlist includes Julián by Louise Bagnall, Lucy Lost by Olivier Clert, Iron Boy by Louis Clichy, Monster Mia by Verena Fels, Viva Carmen by Sébastien Laudenbach, In Waves by Phuong May Nguyen, Jim Queen by Marco Nguyen and Nicolas Athané, and Decorado by Alberto Vázquez.

Documentary shortlist

The documentary shortlist includes NAZA by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, Rehearsals for a Revolution by Pegah Ahangarani, Everybody to Kenmure Street by Felipe Bustos Sierra, Amazomania by Nathan Grossman, Citizen Osama by Ahmed Hassouna, Traces by Alisa Kovalenko and Marysia Nikitiuk, Letters from the Silenced Country by Andrei Kutsila, Closure by Michaƚ Marczak, Whispers in the Woods by Vincent Munier, A Fox Under a Pink Moon by Mehrdad Oskouei and Soraya Akhlaghi, Bugboy by Lucas Paleocrassas, Rescue by Sine Plambech, Queer Edward II by Theo Rollason, La Belle Année by Angelica Ruffier, and To Hold a Mountain by Biljana Tutorov and Petar Glomazić.

Fiction shortlist

The fiction shortlist includes Conversation with the Sea by Muayad Alayan, Bitter Christmas by Pedro Almodóvar, Salvation by Emin Alper, Hold Onto Me by Myrsini Aristidou, La Gradiva by Marine Atlan, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning by Clio Barnard, Dua by Blerta Basholli, De Gaulle: Résistance (Part 1) / De Gaulle: Liberté (Part 2) by Antonin Baudry, How to Divorce During the War by Andrius Blaževičius, La Bola Negra by Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, Yellow Letters by İlker Çatak, Truly Naked by Muriel D’ansembourg, Ivan & Hadoum by Ian de la Rosa, Coward by Lukas Dhont, Red Rocks by Bruno Dumont, Woman Unknown by May El-Toukhy, The Dreamed Adventure by Valeska Grisebach, Black Money for White Nights by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, Bucking Fastard by Werner Herzog, The Diary of a Chambermaid by Radu Jude, Brace Your Heart by Amanda Kernell, Dau by Ilya Khrzhanovsky, Tender Loving Care by Mike Leigh, A Day in the Life of Jo: Chapter Phaedra by Jacqueline Lentzou, Gentle Monster by Marie Kreutzer, A Man of His Time by Emmanuel Marre, The Guest by Mads Mengel, Growth of the Soil by Hans Petter Moland, Shame and Money by Visar Morina, Fjord by Cristian Mungiu, Only Beautiful Things To Look at by Ivan Ostrochovský, Fatherland by Paweł Pawlikowski, Rose by Markus Schleinzer, I Matter by Alina Șerban, You Don't Belong Here by Florin Şerban, Diane in the Loop by Ann Sirot and Raphaël Balboni, The Beloved by Rodrigo Sorogoyen, Elsinore by Simon Stone, The Spiral by Paolo Strippoli, Supporting Role by Ana Urushadze, The Soundman by Frank Van Passel, To The Victory! by Valentyn Vasyanovych, Everytime by Sandra Wollner, Bunker by Florian Zeller, and Minotaur by Andrey Zvyagintsev.