The 36th edition of the European Film Awards distinguished as best animated film like the Spanish ‘Robot Dreams’by Pablo Berger, at a gala in which Isabel Coixet was recognized for her contribution to world cinema and the French ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ swept four categories, including best European film.

Thus, Spanish cinema takes home an award that Berger dedicated to “the creative and vibrant Spanish animated film industry.” “I’m not going to stop until the industry treats us as equals”said the director, who recalled the words of the “great” Guillermo del Toro, according to whom “animation is not a genre.”

The film, co-produced with France, tells the story of Dog, a lonely dog ​​who lives in Manhattan in the 80s and who one day decides to build himself a robot, a friend. They become inseparable until an accident forces Dog to abandon Robot on a beach.

Coixet, European Achievement Award

Coixetfor his part, dedicated his European Achievement Award in World Cinema to all the filmmakers in Europe who have been told that they are not good enough, interesting, controversial or commercial enough, among many other requirements that they supposedly must meet to succeed in the world of cinema. “When something comes from a very strong place in your heart, there is someone who will like and connect with what you do,” he told them. Coixet expressed that very early in his career he realized that “behind the camera there are no borders, passports, flags or limits.” “I wish the world were like this,” he emphasized.

The actress Laia Costa, who participates in the latest Coixet film, ‘Un amor’, and in charge of presenting him with the award, highlighted the reference who is the director for women filmmakers and their willingness to always help them open doors.

Also collecting their corresponding prizes were the makeup and hair salon managers and of the special effects of Juan Antonio Bayona’s film ‘The Snow Society’, which won two awards for excellence.

Tape ‘How to Have Sex’, by Molly Manning Walkera co-production between the United Kingdom and Greece, won the European Discovery-Fipresci Award for best first film, for which the Spanish film ‘20,000 species of bees’, by Estibaliz Urresola, was also nominated.

The two Spanish films contending for best European short film – ‘Aqueronte’, by Manuel Muñoz Rivas, and The Luminous Wound, by Christian Avilés – were left without the award, which went to the Austrian film ‘Hardly Working’, by Susanna Flock, Robin Klengel, Leonhard Müllner and Michael Stumpf.

The French ‘Anatomy of a Fall’ swept four awards

The most awarded film at this European Film Academy (EFA) gala was ‘Anatomy of a Fall’by Justine Triet, taking the awards to best European film, best direction, best script -for Triet and Arthur Harari- and best actress -for the German Sandra Hüller-. The film, which was among the favorites with four nominations, also received an award of excellence for best editing for Laurent Sénéchal.

The two top favorites, with five nominations, respectively – for best film, director, actress, actor and screenplay – ‘Fallen Leaves’, by Aki Kaurismäki, a co-production between Finland and Germany, and ‘The Zone of Interest’, by Jonathan Glazer , co-produced by the United Kingdom, Poland and the United States-, they left empty handed. ‘The Zone of Interest’, for its part, took home at least one of the excellence awards, announced before the gala, for best sound for Johnnie Burn and Tarn Willers

He Best actor award went to Dane Mads Mikkelsen for his role in ‘The Promised Land’, by Nikolaj Arcel, a co-production between Denmark, Germany and Sweden, and the award for best documentary went to ‘Smoke Sauna Sisterhood’, by Anna Hints and co-produced between Estonia, France and Iceland.

The Hungarian director Béla Tarr received the honorary award from the president and board of directors of the EFA; the producer Uljana Kim, who carries out her work in Lithuania, the Eurimages for co-production; and the Sustainability award – Prix Film4climate 2023, the Turkish businesswoman and philanthropist, Güler Sabanci.

British actress Vanessa Redgrave, for her part, gave thanks in a video connection for the lifetime achievement award. During the gala, the actors, directors and producers who died in 2023 were also remembered, including the Spaniards Agustí Villaronga, Eugenio Martín, Carmen Sevilla and Carlos Saura.