After Cannes, Michael Haneke restarts in the European Film Awards

by Marie-France Dupagne

05/12/2005 - After the last year’s ceremony in Barcelona, the 18th Ceremony of the European Film Awards took place in the huge Berlin Arena on Saturday December 3rd, in front of about 1200 professionals coming from the 4 corners of Europe. The evening’s event, with film music as the subject, lasted over 3 hours! musical excerpts of films were interpreted by the Belgian Vlaams Radio Orkest and its "80 Platteland musicians" , as the ceremony’s host, German actor Heino Ferch, referred to them.

The Fipresci Prize, the Editing Prize, the Best Male Actor Prize for Daniel Auteuil and Directing Prize, Hidden [trailer, film focus] (see the Focus) by Michael Haneke (Austria/France/Germany/Italy) took the European Film Award 2005 . "When I had received the Award for directing and the Critiques’ Award as I did in Cannes, I had a deja-vu and I feared not getting the Prize for Best Film!”- said Michael Haneke as he got up on stage one last time.

One can remember Goodbye Lenin! [trailer]’s success two years ago in Berlin. Sophie Scholl, the Final Days [trailer], by Marc Rothemund (Germany) has almost renewed this performance, achieving European Actress 2005 for Julia Jentsch, as well as the Jameson People’s Choice Awards 2005 for best actress and director. As Goodbye Lenin!, the theme of Sophie School, telling the real story of a German resistant during the war, evidently reinforces the importance of this award in Berlin today.

To back the surprising evening’s culinary aspect of directing, Sandrine Bonnaire, came to give the European Screen Writer 2005 prize to the Dutch film Paradise Now [trailer], reminding that according to Hitchcock these are the three ingredients needed to “cook” a good film: a good script, a good script, and a good script. The European Composer 2005 Prize went to Hotel Rwanda [trailer, film focus] while the European Production Designer Award was for A Very Long Engagement and the European Cinematographer Award went to Don't Come Knocking [trailer] by Wim Wenders, who happens to head the Academy.

As those awarded highlighted, most of the films were made possible thanks to the co-production by several European countries, bringing together different cultures, all of it often done for the best.

The peak of the evening arrived with two tributes to key personalities in European cinema. One of them is Scottish actor Sir Sean Connery, winning European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, which he received from Jean-Jacques Annaud, who did not forget to unveil some anecdotes from the shooting of Name of the Rose. The other went to composer Maurice Jarre, European Achievement in World Cinema, for his work in films such as Lawrence of Arabia or Is Paris Burning?

Within the European Film Awards context, an entire weekend was dedicated to the music in cinema. Also, thanks to the initiative taken by the Gander International Film Festival, the EFA organised a concert, "The Music of the Image", were the most famous melodies of cinema were brought together, in the presence of their European authors : Bruno Coulais (Microcosmos), Frédéric Devreese (Un Soir, un train), Gabriel Yared (The English Patient), Alberto Iglesias (Talk to her [trailer]), Stephan Warbeck (Shakespeare in Love), Maurice Jarre (Lawrence d'Arabie) and Dirk Brossé (Daens), who conducted the orchestra in the event.

Staying on the same subject, the EFA organised a presentation called "The Agony and The Ecstasy – Being a Film Composer", hosted by BBC music journalist Tommy Pearson. In this meeting, composers were able to exchange on experiences and work methods, working with filmmakers as well as their personal approach to European cinema in contrast to Hollywood cinema. "The difference between American cinema and European Cinema is also seen in music composition", admitted Dirk Brossé.

Next year’s ceremony will take place in Warsaw, returning to Berlin in 2007.

European Film Awards 2005 complete list

European Film 2005
Hidden, France/Austria/Germany/Italy
by Michael Haneke

European Director2005
Michael Haneke for Hidden, France/Austria/Germany/Italy

European Actress 2005
Julia Jentsch for Sophie Scholl, The Final Days [trailer], Germany

European Actor 2005
Daniel Auteuil for Hidden, France/Austria/Germany/Italy

European Screenwriter 2005
Hany Abu-Assad & Bero Beyer for Paradise Now, The Netherlands/Israel/Germany/France

European Cinematographer 2005
Franz Lustig for Don't Come Knocking, Germany

European Composer 2005
Rupert Gregson-Williams & Andrea Guerra for Hotel Rwanda, UK/South Africa/Italy

European Editor 2005
Michael Hudecek & Nadine Muse for Hidden, France/Austria/Germany/Italy

European Production Designer 2005
Aline Bonetto for A Very Long Engagement, France

EFA Lifetime Achievement Award 2005
Sir Sean Connery, UK

European Achievement in World Cinema 2005
Maurice Jarre, France

Fassbinder Award 2005
Accused by Jakob Thuesen, Denmark

Fipresci Award 2005
Hidden by Michael Haneke, France/Austria/Germany/Italy

ARTE award, EFA Documentary 2005
Un dragon dans les eaux pures du caucase,(The Pipeline Next door ) by Nino Kirtadzé, France

EFA Award, Short Film 2005
Undressing my mother by Ken Wardrop, Ireland

EFA Non- European Film 2005
Good night, and good luck by George Clooney, USA

The Jameson People’s Choice Award 2005 – Best European Director
Marc Rothemund for Sophie Scholl, The Last Days

The Jameson People’s Choice Award 2005 – Best European Actor
Orlando Bloom in Kingdom of Heaven

The Jameson People’s Choice Awards 2005 – Best European Actress
Julia Jentsch in Sophie Scholl, The Last Days

(Translated from French)