With a new date for the awards ceremony, the European Film Awards are sending a message: they are relevant and European productions deserve more attention in international awards conversation.
The 38th European Film Awards - Europe's equivalent to the Oscars - take place this Saturday in Berlin.
Traditionally held in December, the European Film Academy has shaken things up this year by moving the ceremony to better position the EFAs as part of international awards season, which is in full swing following the Golden Globes.
About damn time.
While the EFAs have often fallen by the wayside when it comes to awards conversation, 2026 marks a new approach: European productions matter, they deserve to be celebrated, and they have nothing to envy Hollywood.
Ok, oversized budgets, but when you look at some of last year’s most memorable films, you’d be hard-pressed not to include some of the stellar creative output the continent was responsible for. We certainly didn't hold back when it came to selecting our 20 favourite films of 2025. And even if the glitzy Oscars will inevitably get the lion’s share of press attention, the artistic value and filmmaking audacity proves how European films are some of the finest around.
Plus, let’s face facts – this year’s US awards season seems like a done deal already. Just give One Battle After Another all the awards it deserves; let Timothée Chalamet hold his first Oscar for Marty Supreme (he’s earned it after that exhausting marketing campaign); and let’s collectively celebrate Sinners as much as possible, shall we?
When it comes to the European Film Awards, the line-up boasts a more diverse, more exciting selection of films – many of which have missed out on the spotlight. Case and point: Hands up those who have seen Raitis and Lauris Abele’s stunning comedy-horror animation film Dog of God or Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han’s adaptation of Amelie Nothomb’s novel, Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes (Little Amelie)...
Thought not. You’re missing out.
Both films are among the 15 movies competing for the main award, Best European Film, and while they’re not going in as favourites, their inclusion shows once again how many unmissable EU productions the EFAs highlight, and how these films need better and wider distribution so audiences don’t miss the chance of seeing some real gems.
This year, favourites for Best European Film include Joachim Trier’s moving family drama Sentimental Value (which has already earned Swedish legend Stellan Skarsgård a Golden Globe and proves once more that Renate Reinsve is one of the most magnetic screen presences around); Oliver Laxe’s bone-shaking post-apocalyptic odyssey Sirāt; and Jafar Panahi’s Palme d’Or winner It Was Just An Accident, an engrossing and politically charged thriller about the price of revenge which shows how some filmmakers have to put it all on the line for the sake of their craft.
We’re betting Sentimental Value will emerge victorious – a film which has already been getting a lot of awards buzz stateside, and which will undoubtedly face off against Kleber Mendonça Filho’s The Secret Agent for the coveted – and let’s face facts, the most interesting – Oscar gong: Best International Feature Film.
All to say that the EFAs deserve more attention – and this year, the ceremony has a date worthy of its stature on the international stage.
Granted, more hype and marketing campaigns to promote the awards wouldn’t go amiss, but the EFAs are only in their 38th year. Give them time. With their new position in the awards calendar and a terrific set of nominees, it’s clear this is a ceremony that merits being mentioned in the same breath as the Oscars.
Stay tuned to Euronews Culture, as we’ll be in Berlin to bring you coverage from the ceremony on Saturday night, as well as exclusive interviews from this year’s nominees.
