First Wave of Titles Announced for 2023 European Film Awards (EFA): ‘Anatomy of a Fall,’ ‘Fallen Leaves’ and more

19 productions have been chosen by the European Film Academy Board – consulted by a diverse range of invited European experts – as the first part of the Academy’s Feature Film Selection 2023. The Feature Film Selection includes films that the Board of the Academy. This year’s honors take place on December 9 in Berlin.

Among the titles revealed today include this year’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anatomy of a Fall as well several more Cannes titles like Close Your Eyes, Fallen Leaves, How to Have Sex, Kidnapped and La Chimera.

With 17 European countries represented – both EU and non-EU, the list of the selected films reflects the excellency of European filmmakers demonstrating the variety, diversity and creativity throughout Europe. 

Eligible for the European Film Awards are European feature films which, among other criteria, had their first official screening between June 1, 2022 and May 31, 2023 and have a European director.

Should a film director not be European, “provided they have a European refugee or similar status or have lived in Europe and worked in the European film industry for at least five consecutive years”, exceptions by the Board can be made. (Regulations for the 36th European Film Awards, 1.6. p. 2).

Curiously missing from the list is Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest, which won the Grand Prize at Cannes this year. Glazer is British and the film is a co-production of the United Kingdom, United States and Poland. With only half of the list of eligible films revealed today, we’ll definitely see more but there is a chance that the country origin designation for Zone could pose a problem for it here and elsewhere.

With the Feature Film Selection announcement, the first step in the three-stage awarding procedure is completed. In the coming weeks, the 4,600 members of the European Film Academy will start to watch and vote for the selected films. Based on the votes of the participating members the nominations in the feature film categories ‘European Film’, ‘Director’, ‘Actor’, ‘Actress’ and ‘Screenwriter’ as well as in the category ‘European Documentary’ will be made public on November 7, 2023. The winners will be announced at the European Film Awards ceremony in Berlin on December 9 ,2023.  

In addition to voting, the selected films will be considered for the Excellence Awards in the categories ‘European Cinematography’, ‘Editing’, ‘Production Design’, ‘Costume Design’, ‘Make-up & Hair’, ‘Original Score’, ‘Sound’ and ‘Visual Effects’ which will be determined by an eight-member jury consisting of representatives of the different arts and crafts. There will be no nominations in these categories.  

The selection is based on the Diversity & Inclusion Standards of the European Film Academy. 

Here are the 19 Titles announced for EFA 2023 Selection Part 1:

• 20,000 Species of Bees
• Afire
• Anatomy of a Fall
• The Animal Kingdom
• Behind the Haystacks
• Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry
• La Chimera
• Close Your Eyes
• Fallen Leaves
• Femme
• Firebrand
• The Goldman Case
• The Happiest Man in the World
• How to Have Sex
• Kidnapped
• The Old Oak
• Safe Place
• Slow
• The Teachers’ Lounge