2021 European Film Awards (EFA) go big for ‘Quo Vadis, Aida?,’ ‘The Father’ and ‘Flee’
Jasmila Žbanić’s Oscar-nominated Quo Vadis, Aida? led the 2021 European Film Awards (EFA) winners today with three: European Film, European Director and European Actress for Jasna Đuričić.
Jasmila Žbanić, upon winning European Director for Quo Vadis, Aida?, said, “There are many women I’d like to thank today. And many men as well. I’ll start with Lina Wertmüller, who was an inspiration for us all.” Žbanić continued, saying “I would also like to thank all the women of Srebrenica. Then my mother, and my daughter. And of course the actors. Directors are nothing without their talent. I send you my dearest gratitute and love.”
Upon winning the top award, Žbanić said, “This film is dedicated to the women and mothers of Srebrenica. They found a way to build peace in a destroyed country. Women always need to find a solution to the mess created by men.”
“First of all I’d like to thank the crew, you are the best crew in the world. Then my family, my children and my husband,” said European Actress winner Jasna Đuričić, who continued, “And I’d like to thank Jasmila, you gave me something that is unique, a huge space to say everything I think and feel about former Yougoslavia. Jasmila, thank you. This award is for all victims and for mothers!”
Anthony Hopkins and Florian Zeller repeated their Oscar wins for The Father from earlier this year; Hopkins for acting and Zeller for screenwriting. Promising Young Woman, another Oscar winner, won the European Discovery FIPRESCI Prize.
Flee won all three of its nominations for European Animated Film and European Documentary as well as the European University Film Award.
Previously announced winners in the craft categories included Titane for Makeup & Hair, Great Freedom for Original Score and Cinematography, Ammonite for Costume Design and Unclenching the Fists for Editing.
Steve McQueen received the European Innovative Storytelling Award for his film collection Small Axe. “Small Axe is about a community getting together. I’d like to dedicate this award to the victims of the Grenfell Tower tragedy,” he said. Susanne Bier received the European Achievement in World Cinema Award and the European Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Márta Mészáros.
Several films went home empty-handed tonight, including Compartment No. 6, The Hand of God and The Worst Person in the World. Last year, Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round swept the awards, winning European Film, European Director, European Screenwriter and European Actor. The film won the International Feature Film Oscar for Denmark and Vinterberg earned a Best Director Oscar nomination.
The European Film Academy is made up of over 4100 members. Here is the full list of winners.
European Film
Compartment No. 6
Quo Vadis, Aida? – WINNER
The Father
The Hand of God
Titane
European Director
Julia Ducournau, Titane
Radu Jude, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Paolo Sorrentino, The Hand of God
Jasmila Žbanić, Quo Vadis, Aida? – WINNER
Florian Zeller, The Father
European Actor
Yuriy Borisov, Compartment No. 6
Anthony Hopkins, The Father – WINNER
Vincent Lindon, Titane
Tahar Rahim, The Mauritanian
Franz Rogowski, Great Freedom
European Actress
Jasna Đuričić, Quo Vadis, Aida? – WINNER
Seidi Haarla, Compartment No. 6
Carey Mulligan, Promising Young Woman
Renate Reinsve, The Worst Person in the World
Agathe Rousselle, Titane
European Screenwriter
Radu Jude, Bad Luck Banging or Loony Porn
Paolo Sorrentino, The Hand of God
Joachim Trier and Eskil Vogt, The Worst Person in the World
Jasmila Žbanić, Quo Vadis, Aida?
Florian Zeller and Christopher Hampton, The Father – WINNER
European Comedy
Ninjababy – WINNER
The Morning After
The People Upstairs
European Documentary
Babi Yar. Context
Flee – WINNER
Mr Bachmann and His Class
Taming the Garden
The Most Beautiful Boy in the World
European Animated Feature Film
Even Mice Belong in Heaven
Flee – WINNER
The Ape Star
Where Is Anne Frank
Wolfwalkers
European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI
Beginning
Lamb
Playground
Pleasure
Promising Young Woman – WINNER
The Whaler Boy
European Short Film
Bella
Displaced
Easter Eggs
In Flow of Words
My Uncle Tudor – WINNER
European University Film Award
Apples
Flee – WINNER
Great Freedom
Happening
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Lux Audience Award
Flee
Great Freedom
Quo Vadis, Aida?
Eurimages Co-Production Award
Maria Ekerhovd
European Cinematography
Crystel Fournier for Great Freedom
European Editing
Mukharam Kabulova for Unclenching The Fists
European Production Design
Márton Ágh for Natural Light
European Costume Design
Michael O’Connor for Ammonite
European Makeup & Hair
Flore Masson, Olivier Afonso, Antoine Mancini for Titane
European Original Score
Nils Petter Molvær, Peter Brötzmann for Great Freedom
European Sound
Gisle Tveito, Gustaf Berger for The Innocents
European Visual Effects
Peter Hjorth, Fredrik Nord for Lamb
He is a Rotten Tomatoes-approved critic, accredited by the Cannes Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival and more, is a member of the International Cinephile Society (ICS), The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics (GALECA), Hollywood Critics Association (HCA) and the International Press Academy. Among his many achieved goals with AwardsWatch, he has given a platform to underrepresented writers and critics and supplied them with access to film festivals and the industry and calls the Bay Area his home where he lives with his husband and son.
- 2025 Oscars: Eligibility Lists for Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards - November 21, 2024
- Nava Mau, Sean Wang Among 2024 BAFTA Breakthroughs Championing New ‘Must-Watch’ Creatives - November 21, 2024
- Hans Zimmer, ‘Emilia Pérez,’ Diane Warren Top 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Awards - November 21, 2024
Director Watch Podcast Ep. 72 – ‘Three Colours: Blue’ (Krzysztof Kieślowski, 1993) 
2025 Oscars: Eligibility Lists for Animated Feature, Documentary Feature and International Feature Film for the 97th Academy Awards 
Nava Mau, Sean Wang Among 2024 BAFTA Breakthroughs Championing New ‘Must-Watch’ Creatives 
Interview: Saoirse Ronan on Addiction, Recovery, and ‘The Outrun’ [VIDEO]