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EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2017

The Square sweeps the European Film Awards

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- Ruben Östlund’s film has followed Toni Erdmann’s example at a gala that celebrated Europe’s cultural and political identity, held on Saturday in Berlin

The Square sweeps the European Film Awards
Ruben Östlund collects his Award for 2017 European Director (© EFA/API/Daniel Hinz)

It has now happened for the second time in a row: a sole film – and more specifically a comedy – has taken home most of the awards from the European Film Awards ceremony. While last year it was Toni Erdmann [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Maren Ade
film profile
]
, this year, for the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the awards, The Square [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile
]
was the film that swept the ceremony.

Ruben Östlund’s movie, already a Palme d’Or winner back in May, based on the decision by the jury led by Pedro Almodóvar, won the main awards of the night, namely: European Actor for Claes Bang, European Screenplay and European Director for Östlund, European Comedy and, of course, European Film. It is worth noting that the film also appeared during the ceremony as one of the winners of the Excellence Awards – Josefin Åsberg won European Production Designer (see the news).

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When collecting one of his awards, Östlund said, "We wanted to say something important, but we also wanted it to be entertaining and exciting." When he went up on stage to receive the European Film Award, producer Erik Hemmendorff added, “I don't know if we deserved this many.”

Besides The Square’s extensive win, the only other films to attain some success were Ildiko Enyedi’s On Body and Soul [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ildiko Enyedi
interview: Ildiko Enyedi
interview: Réka Tenki
film profile
]
, which saw its lead, Alexandra Borbély, receive the European Actress Award (and fight back the tears to make her speech on stage), Anna Zamecka’s Communion [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, which won European Documentary, Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman’s Loving Vincent [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dorota Kobiela
film profile
]
, which won European Animation Film, William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: William Oldroyd
film profile
]
, which took home the European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI, and Maria Schrader’s Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe [+see also:
trailer
interview: Maria Schrader
film profile
]
, which received the People’s Choice Award.

In a ceremony that placed the emphasis on the role of the European Film Awards in creating a European identity through film over the past three decades, the speech by EFA president Wim Wenders really stood out. It was a politically charged address, in which he even asked, "How is it possible that nationalism is coming back into our lives? Why is it killing our proudest dreams?” Aleksandr Sokurov remembered all of the struggles he went through during his career when picking up the Lifetime Achievement Award from EFA chairwoman Agnieszka Holland. And Julie Delpy claimed she had lost the financing she needed in order to start the project she now has in the works when collecting the Award for European Achievement in World Cinema (which also included a message from Ethan Hawke, bringing to mind the iconic couple they play in Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy). She went on to claim that she would sell raffle tickets during the ceremony to crowdfund her project, because she is “only just surviving in this profession”.

The 30th European Film Awards were once again a celebration of European cinema, as well as Europe’s cultural and political identity, with no unexpected winners in the awards list. Next year, the ceremony will be held in Spain for the first time, more precisely in Seville.

Here is the complete list of winners:

European Film
The Square [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile
]
 – Ruben Östlund (Sweden/Germany/France/Denmark)

European Documentary
Communion [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
 – Anna Zamecka (Poland)

European Director
Ruben Östlund – The Square

European Actress
Alexandra Borbély – On Body and Soul [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ildiko Enyedi
interview: Ildiko Enyedi
interview: Réka Tenki
film profile
]
 (Hungary)

European Actor
Claes Bang – The Square

European Screenplay
Ruben Östlund – The Square

European Animated Feature Film
Loving Vincent [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dorota Kobiela
film profile
]
 – Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman (Poland/UK)

European Comedy
The Square – Ruben Östlund

European Discovery - Prix FIPRESCI
Lady Macbeth [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: William Oldroyd
film profile
]
  – William Oldroyd (UK)

People's Choice Award
Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe [+see also:
trailer
interview: Maria Schrader
film profile
]
 - Maria Schrader (Germany/Austria/France)

European Short Film
Timecode - Juanjo Giménez (Spain)

European University Film Award (parallel prize)
Heartstone [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson
film profile
]
– Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Iceland/Denmark)

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