The European Film Academy has announced the nominees for the 36th European Film Awards (EFAs), highlighting a slate of films and filmmakers that dominated festivals and critics’ lists throughout the year.
Leading the nominations are Jonathan Glazer’s The Zone of Interest and Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall. Both films appear across multiple major categories, reflecting strong critical recognition across directing, acting and screenwriting. Anatomy of a Fall, which won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, is nominated in four categories including European Film, Best Director, Lead Actress for Sandra Hüller, and Best Screenplay. The Zone of Interest is recognized across the five major categories: European Film, Best Director, Lead Actress (Sandra Hüller), Lead Actor (Christian Friedel), and Screenwriting.
The nominations also underscore a rich diversity of European cinema this year. Aki Kaurismäki’s Fallen Leaves secured nominations in all five of the major categories announced, while performances from a wide range of actors and actresses have been acknowledged, from established names to rising talents. These nominations highlight the continued strength of auteur-driven films and the vibrant storytelling scene across Europe.
British talents received attention as well. Josh O’Connor was nominated for his lead performance in Alice Rohrwacher’s La Chimera, and Mia McKenna-Bruce earned a nomination for her role in Molly Manning Walker’s noted debut How to Have Sex. The inclusion of these performances points to a strong year for actors who bridge festival acclaim with broader audience recognition.
The European Film Awards ceremony will be held live in Berlin, Germany, on 9 December 2023. The EFAs remain an important moment in the film calendar for recognizing excellence across European cinema—spotlighting feature films, documentaries, animated features, shorts and emerging filmmakers who represent the continent’s creative diversity.
Full list of 2023 European Film Awards nominees:
European Film
Anatomy of a Fall
Fallen Leaves
Green Border
Me Captain
The Zone of Interest
European Young Audience Award
Longing for the World
One in a Million
Scrapper
European Discovery – Prix Fipresci
20,000 Species of Bees
How to Have Sex
La Palisiada
Safe Place
The Quiet Migration
Vincent Must Die
European Documentary
Apolonia, Apolonia
Four Daughters
Motherland
On the Adamant
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
European Animated Feature Film
A Greyhound of a Girl
Chicken for Linda!
Robot Dreams
The Amazing Maurice
White Plastic Sky
European Short Film
27
Aqueronte
Daydreaming So Vividly About Our Spanish Holidays
Flores Del Otro Patio
Hardly Working
European Director
Justine Triet (Anatomy of a Fall)
Aki Kaurismäki (Fallen Leaves)
Agnieszka Holland (Green Border)
Matteo Garrone (Me Captain)
Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest)
European Actress
Sandra Hüller (Anatomy of a Fall)
Eka Chavleishvili (Blackbird Blackbird Blackberry)
Alma Pöysti (Fallen Leaves)
Mia McKenna-Bruce (How to Have Sex)
Leonie Benesch (The Teachers’ Lounge)
Sandra Hüller (The Zone of Interest)
European Actor
Thomas Schubert (Afire)
Jussi Vatanen (Fallen Leaves)
Josh O’Connor (La Chimera)
Mads Mikkelsen (The Promised Land)
Christian Friedel (The Zone of Interest)
European Screenwriter
Justine Triet, Arthur Harari (Anatomy of a Fall)
Aki Kaurismäki (Fallen Leaves)
Gabriela Lazarkiewicz-Sieczko, Maciej Pisuk, Agnieszka Holland (Green Border)
Johannes Duncker, Ilker Çatak (The Teachers’ Lounge)
Jonathan Glazer (The Zone of Interest)
These nominations offer a snapshot of a year in which European cinema continued to push boundaries in form and content. From intimate character studies to ambitious, formally daring works, the nominated films represent a broad range of voices and cinematic approaches. They also reflect the international festival circuit’s influence, with several titles previously honored at major festivals and subsequently gaining recognition from the European Film Academy.
As the awards approach, attention will turn to which films and filmmakers will take home the top prizes. The European Film Awards serve not only to celebrate artistic achievement but also to promote European films to wider audiences, encourage distribution across borders, and recognize the creative communities that bring these projects to life.