4 Months & Band’s Visit scoop up pair at the 20th European Film Awards

I’ve been saying it since Toronto (and not Cannes since I didn’t get to see it there) that Cristian Mungiu’s 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is the film to beat this year when it comes to Euro-products. Yesterday’s 20th European Film Awards win as best film and best director is a testament to the quality of this Romanian picture that hopefully won’t be overlooked by the Academy Award voters back in the U.S. Prizing for best actress went to Helen Mirren (who has probably picked up her last trophy for her perf in The Queen), while best actor went to Sasson Gabai – the actor was showcased in Cannes fav, Eran Kolirin's The Band Visit. Kolirin was also award with the Discovery award.   

The rest of the awards had a distinctly German feel – though the film was insignificant, the technically unflawed Perfume: The Story of a Murderer won for Production Design and Cinematography, while Fatih Akin’s screenwriting for The Edge of Heaven was honored.  Best documentary was given to Rithy Panh’s heavy Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers and short film honors went to Spanish film “Alumbramiento” by Eduardo Chapero-Jackson. 

NOMINATIONS & WINNERS (in bold) FOR THE 20th EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS

EUROPEAN FILM 2007

4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), Romania
directed by Cristian Mungiu
produced by Mobra Film SRL

AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE (The Edge of Heaven), Germany/Turkey
directed by Fatih Akin
produced by Corazón International GmbH & Co KG/Anka Film/Dorje Film/NDR

THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, UK
directed by Kevin Macdonald
produced by DNA Films

LA MOME (La Vie en Rose), France/Czech Republic/UK
directed by Olivier Dahan
produced by Légende/ TF1 International/TF1 Films Production/Okko
Production s.r.o./Songbird Pictures Ltd

PERSEPOLIS, France
directed by Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
produced by 2.4.7. Films/France 3 Cinéma/Diaphana Distribution/The
Kennedy/Marshall Company/Franche Connection Animations

THE QUEEN, UK/France/Italy
directed by Stephen Frears
produced by Granada/Pathé Renn/BIM Distribuzione

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2007
Fatih Akin for AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE (The Edge of Heaven)
Roy Andersson for DU LEVANDE (You, the Living)
Stephen Frears for THE QUEEN
Kevin Macdonald for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Cristian Mungiu for 4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and
2 Days)
Giuseppe Tornatore for LA SCONOSCIUTA (The Unknown)

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2007
Marion Cotillard in LA MOME (La Vie en Rose)
Marianne Faithful in IRINA PALM
Carice van Houten in ZWARTBOEK (Black Book)
Anamaria Marinca in 4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and
2 Days)
Helen Mirren in THE QUEEN
Ksenia Rappoport in LA SCONOSCIUTA (The Unknown)

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2007
Sasson Gabai in BIKUR HATIZMORET (The Band’s Visit)
Elio Germano in MIO FRATELLO É FIGLIO UNICO (My Brother is an Only Child)
James McAvoy in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Miki Manojlovic in IRINA PALM
Michel Piccoli in BELLE TOUJOURS
Ben Whishaw in DAS PARFUM – DIE GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS (Perfume: The
Story of a Murderer)

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2007
Fatih Akin for AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE (The Edge of Heaven)
Eran Kolirin for BIKUR HATIZMORET (The Band’s Visit)
Peter Morgan for THE QUEEN
Cristian Mungiu for 4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and
2 Days)

EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER 2007
Anthony Dod Mantle for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Frank Griebe for DAS PARFUM – DIE GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS (Perfume: The
Story of a Murderer)
Mikhail Krichman for IZGNANIE (Banishment)
Fabio Zamarion for LA SCONOSCIUTA (The Unknown)

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY PRIX D’EXCELLENCE 2007
Uli Hanisch for Production Design, DAS PARFUM – DIE GESCHICHTE EINES
MÖRDERS (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)
Annette Focks, Jörg Höhne, Robin Pohle & Andreas Ruft for Sound, VIER
MINUTEN (Four
Minutes)
Didier Lavergne for Make-up, LA MOME (La Vie en Rose)
Francesca Sartori for Costume, ALATRISTE
Lucia Zucchetti for Editing, THE QUEEN

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2007
Alexandre Desplat for THE QUEEN
Alex Heffes for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Dejan Pejovic for GUCHA
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil for DAS PARFUM – DIE
GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

DISCOVERY: “The Band’s Visit,” Eran Kolirin (Israel, France)

DOCUMENTARY – PRIX ARTE: “Paper Cannot Wrap Up Embers,” Rithy Panh (France).  

SHORT FILM – PRIX UIP: “Alumbramiento,” Eduardo Chapero-Jackson (Spain)  

PEOPLE'S CHOICE FOR BEST EUROPEAN FILM: “La Sconosciuta” (The Other Woman), Giuseppe Tornatore, (Italy)  

CRITICS AWARD – PRIX FIPRESCI: “Private Fears in Public Places,” Alain Resnais (France, Italy)  

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: Jean-Luc Godard Achievement in World Cinema: Michael Ballhaus Prix Eurimages  

CO-PRODUCER AWARD: Margaret Menegoz, Veit Heiduschka Honorary Award: Manoel de Oliveira