23rd European Film Awards Nominations

At the Seville European Film Festival the European Film Academy announced the nominations for the European Film Awards and here are the much awaited nominations.

Best European Film
Bal (Honey), Semih Kaplanoğlu, Turkey and Germany
Des Hommes et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men), Xavier Beauvois, France
The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski, France, Germany and UK
Lebanon, Samuel Maoz, Israel, Germany and UK
El Secreto de sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes), Juan José Campanella, Spain and Argentina
Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin, Germany

European Director
Olivier Assayas for Carlos
Semih Kaplanoğlu for Bal (Honey)
Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
Paolo Virzi for La Prima Cosa Bella (The First Beautiful Thing)

European Actress
Zrinka Cvitešić in Na Putu (On the Path)
Sibel Kekilli in Die Fremde (When We Leave)
Lesley Manville in Another Year
Sylvie Testud in Lourdes
Lotte Verbeek in Nothing Personal

European Actor
Jakob Cedergren in Submarino
Elio Germano in La Nostra Vita (Our Life)
Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer
George Pistereanu in Eu Cand Vreau sa Fluier, Fluier (If I Want to Whistle,
I Whistle)
Luis Tosar in Celda 211 (Cell 211)

European Cinematographer
Giora Bejach for Lebanon
Caroline Champetier for Des Hommes et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men)
Pavel Kostomarov for Как я провел этим летом (How I Ended this Summer)
Barış Özbiçer for Bal (Honey)

European Screenwriter
Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Daniel Monzón for Celda 211 (Cell 211)
Robert Harris and Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
Radu Mihaileanu for Le Concert (The Concert)

European Composer
Ales Brezina for Kawasakiho Ruze (Kawasaki’s Rose)
Pasquale Catalano for Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons)
Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer
Gary Yershon for Another Year

European Editor
Luc Barnier and Marion Monnier for Carlos
Arik Lahav-Leibovich for Lebanon
Hervé de Luze for The Ghost Writer

European Production Designer
Paola Bizzarri and Luis Ramirez for Io, Don Giiovanni (I, Don Giovanni)
Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer
Markku Pätilä and Jaagup Roomet for Püha Tõnu kiusamine (The Temptation
of St. Tony)

To check the official announcement at the Academy site go here  and if you wish you can also go to the Awards site that’s here.

The awards ceremony will be in Tallinn, Estonia and we will be able to watch the live stream here on December 4th, 2010.

The more than 2,300 EFA members will be busy during almost one month voting for the winners and have to admit that I’m not pleased with some of the nominees, especially all the nominations The Ghost Writer got as I did find the movie with a style that is more American than European –but what do I know! (lol!). Somehow I find interesting that the Oscar Winner El Secreto de sus Ojos is nominated as best film, but the director is not; as a matter of fact only two nominated directors have their films nominated as best film and I hope one of the two win both awards -or at least one- as Lebanon is truly outstanding and obviously Bal has to be as good, if not superior, to the two previous Semih Kaplanoğlu’s trilogy films.

I have seen Fatih Akin’s Soul Kitchen and didn’t enjoyed much as it’s really different from his other movies, which does not make it bad or good, just enormously different oeuvre from one of my true favorite contemporary directors. Last, yes looking forward to watch Xavier Beauvois’s much honored film.

I’m amazed that Die Fredme was not nominated as best picture, still I know that has a nomination for best first time director, but film is so good that was hoping will also make it in both categories. So I’m looking forward to see what the EFA’s members will declare as the Best Film of 2010, a year that I consider to be excellent for European productions as in the long list there are too many good films that didn’t got a nomination but definitively seem (and are) extraordinary.

With many female directors in the long list I’m appalled that NONE got a nomination! Gosh the European glass ceiling was not broken this year and Feo Adalag’s honored film or Jessica Hausner’s excellent Lourdes –to name two- will continue to collect honors elsewhere as Academy members didn’t believe deserved a nomination. Sigh.

One category that always calls my attention beyond normal is the Best Actress and this year there are some outstanding performances I have seen and some that still have to watch. But from the ones I have seen my award absolutely goes to Lotte Verbeek in mesmerizing, beautiful and out-of-the-ordinary Nothing Personal. Haven’t seen most of the Best Actor films but soon will watch Submarino and I’m REALLY looking forward to watch the Romanian film that some critics’ and viewers are relating to A Prophet, not that I need the film to be compared/related to such a great film as most of you know my true love and fascination with contemporary Romanian cinema.

Last, let me comment about Cinematography. How I Ended this Summer has a breath taken cinematography, but Lebanon has such an innovative, different, and with very-successful use of this tech spec that I hope gets the award. Don’t doubt that Bal has to be as good as the two previous installments or that the French film will be good, but if innovation counts Lebanon will win in this category as well as in editing.

We will have to wait almost a month to learn what Academy members vote as the best in each category and I will be watching live for sure as this is year the race is interesting.

Last just want to remind those that live in European countries to NOT forget to vote for the People’s Choice Awards here.

Cheers!!!