Italian entry La grande bellezza, an ode to the beauty and decadence of Rome, enjoyed a grande serata at the 26th European Film Awards, held at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin, taking home four awards on a crisp, snowy evening.

The evening was introduced by European Film Academy (EFA) director Marion Döring, whose opening comments emphasised the obstacles film-makers are facing across the continent due to the prevailing economic problems plaguing Europe – a fact echoed by many winners throughout the evening. Yet, the evening proved that film-makers continue to strive, their output being a showcase of life and love in Europe and beyond.

Moreover, the awards underscore the importance of inter-country collaborations in film production (La grande bellezza is an Italian/French production, while European Animated Feature Film winner The Congress is a co-production by Israel, Germany, Poland, Luxembourg, France and Belgium).

The awards underscore the importance of inter-country collaborations in film

Taking home European Actor for Toni Servillo, European Editor for Cristiano Travaglioli, European Director for Paolo Sorrentino and European Film of 2013, La grande bellezza formed part of an eclectic list of exciting movies from across the continent. Apart from the great winner of the evening, of the six nominees for European Film of the Year, all but one went home with an award each.

Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore’s English-language debut The Best Offer secured the European Composer 2013 prize for veteran Ennio Morricone (earning the first standing ovation of the evening); Spain’s fantastical take on Snow White, the black and white Blancanieves, won European Costume Designer for Paco Delgado; Belgium’s The Broken Circle Breakdown won European Actress for Veerle Baetens; while Oh Boy, from Germany, walked away with the European Discovery – Prix Fipresci award.

Other awards included European Screenwriter, which went to François Ozon for In the House, and the European Documentary Award, which went to Joshua Oppenheimer’s harrowing documentary The Act of Killing. Denmark’s Love is All You Need walked away with the European Comedy award, a category introduced for the first time this year.

Also new this year was the decision by the EFA to appoint a special jury to decide on the winners in various technical categories to draw more attention to the award recipients in these categories.

The winners included European Cinematographer Asaf Sudry for Fill the Void; European Production Designer Sarah Greenwood for Anna Karenina; European Sound Designer Matz Müller and Erik Mischijew for Paradise: Faith and the afore-mentioned Travaglioli, Morricone and Delgado.

Adele: Chapters 1 & 2 (also known as Blue is the Warmest Colour) went home empty-handed, which was surprising, considering how much this film was feted following its Palme d’Or triumph at Cannes earlier this year.

The European Film Awards continue to grow from strength to strength and are now a significant event in the international awards calendar.

European cinema has long had a reputation of being serious and cerebral – which is rather unfair, as the varied choice offered by this year’s nominees would attest.

To further dispel this image, the atmosphere at the awards is celebratory and light-hearted, with host Anke Engelke, the popular German comedienne, being her usual, irreverent self; although, sadly, we had nothing resembling the highly entertaining sketches she presented at last year’s awards in Malta.

The ceremony itself was attended by a mix of up-and-coming actors and veterans of European cinema: several bona fide celebrities gracing the stage as presenters, including Kristen Scott Thomas, Diane Kruger, Christopher Lambert and Noomi Rapace.

The soundtrack for the show was provided by DJ Hans Nieswandt, while Dutch actress Carice Van Houten showed off her vocal talents by performing her new song with her band.

Unsurprisingly, the ceremony provided some truly touching moments, many of which came courtesy of two stalwarts of European cinema. Spanish director Pedro Almodóvar and French acting great Catherine Deneuve were present. In European Film Academy president Wim Wenders’ words, they “lit up the evening”.

The European Achievement in World Cinema Award went to the colourful Almodóvar who, for decades, has brightened up cinema with his always flamboyant, often outrageous, never unexciting way of depicting humanity and all its foibles.

Deneuve was given the Lifetime Achievement Award and Wenders’ genuine emotion as he introduced the actress was palpable.

This was followed by a series of clips showing just a few of the astonishing characters the Parisian-born actress brought to life throughout her extensive career.

As she took to the stage after a long standing ovation, the elegant, soft-spoken and clearly moved Deneuve professed her love for cinema, thanking all those she has worked with in the past.

Deneuve finally encapsulated the tone of the evening by thanking the academy for “making me feel more European than ever. I said I was a French actress, but for a few years, it’s true… I feel more European”.

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