European Film Awards 2026 Set to Honor Excellence in Cinema, Live from Berlin
The prestigious European Film Awards will return on Saturday, January 17th, 2026, with a ceremony held at the iconic Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW) in Berlin. The event, celebrating the greatest achievements in European cinema, will be live-streamed beginning at 5pm GMT (6pm CET) and accessible HERE for a global audience.
The 38th edition of the awards promises a star-studded evening, recognizing outstanding contributions across a range of categories including Film, Documentary, Animated Feature Film, Short Film, Discovery, Director, Actress, Actor, and Screenwriter. The ceremony, presented by the European Film Academy and European Film Academy Productions, will explore the fundamental question, “why do we love cinema?”
This year’s ceremony is being creatively shaped by a distinguished team: Irish-Scottish filmmaker Mark Cousins, German film composer Dascha Dauenhauer – responsible for the event’s musical concept – and theatre director Robert Lehniger, who will serve as stage director. A diverse group of European artists and filmmakers will present the awards throughout the evening, including Spanish actors, writers, and directors Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, Turkish screenwriter, photographer, and production designer Ebru Ceylan, Spanish actor Carlos Cuevas, Oscar-winning British director Asif Kapadia, German-Romanian director Alexander Nanau, Greek actress Angeliki Papoulia, and Norwegian filmmaker and European Film Award winner Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel.
The event will also welcome a remarkable gathering of internationally renowned filmmakers, actors, and cultural figures. Attendees include Lebanese-German cinematographer Christopher Aoun, German-Iranian actress Banafshe Hourmazdi, French actress and Academy president Juliette Binoche, German actor Jerry Hofmann, Polish director Agnieszka Holland, German actresses Juliane Köhler and Caroline Peters, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, German director Volker Schlöndorff, German actress Maria Schrader, Palestinian director Elia Suleiman, and German director Wim Wenders, among many others.
Among the international nominees vying for recognition are Palestinian director Kamal Aljafari (WITH HASAN IN GAZA), Tunisian-French director Kaouther Ben Hania, German actress Leonie Benesch (LATE SHIFT), French director and animator Ugo Welcome (ARCO), Italian-French actress Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (carried), French actress Léa Drucker (CASE 137), Luxembourgish-German actress Vicky Krieps (LOVE ME TENDER), Spanish director Oliver Laxe (CRY), Spanish actor Sergi Lopez (SIRĀT), Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (THE LAST VIKING), Iranian director Jafar Panahi (IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT), Norwegian actress Renate Reinsve (SENTIMENTAL VALUE), German director Mascha Schilinski (SOUND OF FALLING), Italian actor Toni Servillo (GRACE), Swedish actor Stellan Skarsgård (SENTIMENTAL VALUE), Norwegian director Joachim Trier (SENTIMENTAL VALUE), German director Andres Veiel (RIEFENSTAHL), Norwegian screenwriter Eskil Vogt (SENTIMENTAL VALUE), and German actor If Weiss (FRANZ).
Several winners have already been announced and will attend the ceremony, including German producers Maren Ade, Janine Jackowski, and Jonas Dornbach, recipients of the EURIMAGES INTERNATIONAL CO-PRODUCTION AWARD; Italian director Alice Rohrwacher, honored with the EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA award; and Norwegian actress and filmmaker Liv Ullmann, who will receive the LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD.
For audiences eager to experience the nominated films, the CIFF will offer free screenings of those vying for the LUX Audience Award 2026 from Friday, February 6th, to Sunday, February 8th. Details regarding booking announcements will be available on the CIFF website and social media channels.
Founded in 1988, the European Film Academy is dedicated to supporting its 5,000 members and promoting their work. The Academy aims to foster knowledge-sharing and educate audiences of all ages about European cinema, positioning itself as a leading voice and facilitator of crucial industry debates. The annual European Film Awards represent the culmination of these efforts, uniting those who cherish European filmmaking.
