European Films

The Italian crime mosaic Gomorra (Gomorrah) was the big winner at the 2008 European Film Awards (EFAs). The film, directed by Matteo Garrone, was crowned Best European Film and also won EFAs in the categories Best Screenplay, Best Director and Best Cinematography. Actor Toni Servillo was named Best European Actor for his  work in Gomorra and in Paolo Sorrentino's Il Divo, a biopic of Italian politician Giulio Andreotti. Kristin Scott Thomas won the Best European Actress category for her portrayal of a Franco-British woman released from prison in Philippe Claudel's Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (I've Loved You So Long). The 21st edition of the European Film Awards were held in Copenhagen on Saturday.

Two Italian films, Matteo Garrone's Gomorra (Gomorrah) and Paolo Sorrentino's Il Divo, lead the pack at this year's European Film Award (EFA) nominations. Both film have five nominations each and premiered earlier this year at the Cannes Film Festival before their releases at home. The festival seems to be this year's official supplies of nominees; the Best Director category is solely made up of titles that premiered there. The fact that two Italian titles are in the lead is also somewhat misleading, as this is not the sign of some kind of renaissance in Italian film. The Venice and Rome Film Festivals, both packed with local titles, programmed not one film that scored an EFA nomination this year. The winners will be announced at a ceremony held in Copenhagen on December. 6 The full list of 2008 EFA nominees follows.

After the English-language Bukowski biopic Factotum, Norwegian director Bent Hamer celebrates his homecoming in style with the decidedly Nordic -- though not at all glacial -- O’Horten, a mixture of sweetness and deadpan that proves the Kaurismäki/Andersson school of filmmaking still has new delights in store. The story of a retiring train driver whose life goes off the rails as soon as he does is light on narrative but has plenty of other things on offer, including a warm- and big-hearted performance from veteran actor Bård Owe as the title character. After the international tour of his similarly stylised Salmer fra kjøkkenet (Kitchen Stories), O’Horten should be ready for a small victory leap around the European arthouses.

The Best Foreign Language Film Oscar category is a crowded one this year, with a record 67 entries from as many countries. The European entries are listed below, with links to the european-films.net reviews where available. The complete list of last year is available here. The nominations for the 2008 Oscars will be announced on January 22, 2009, with a shortlist of 9 contenders released slightly earlier. The awards ceremony will take place on February 22, 2009 in Los Angeles.