European Film Awards Nominations

BEST EUROPEAN FILM
The Ghost Writer
Honey
Lebanon
Of Gods & Men
The Secret in Their Eyes
Soul Kitchen

I'm guessing most are familiar with Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer, which topped all nominees with the European Film community, and I suppose stands a chance at some longshot Oscar nods.  Honey (Bal) won the top prize at the 2010 Berlin Film Festival, and Lebanon (which got a teeny tiny U.S. release earlier this year) won last year's top prize at the Venice Film Festival.  The Secret in Their Eyes famously won this year's foreign film Oscar, so this is it's awards curtain call.  Look out for Of Gods & Men, however which is France's official selection for the foreign language Oscar.  Soul Kitchen is the latest film from the acclaimed director of Head-On, Fatih Akin.

BEST EUROPEAN DIRECTOR
Olivier Assayas, Carlos
Paolo Virzi, The First Beautiful Thing
Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
Semih Kaplanoglu, Honey
Samuel Maoz, Lebanon

Assayas, the French provocateur of the acclaimed Irma Vep and demonlover, received director honors for the 5-hour Carlos, biography of Carlos the Jackal, the Venezuelan terrorist.  The acclaimed film opened recently in the U.S., but will not be eligible for Oscar consideration, since it premiered on the Sundance Channel.

BEST EUROPEAN ACTOR
Jakob Cedergren, Submarino
Elio Germano, Our Life
Ewan McGregor, The Ghost Writer
George Pistereanu, If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle
Luis Tosan, Cell 211

BEST EUROPEAN ACTRESS
Zrinka Cvitesic, On the Path
Sibel Kekilli, When We Leave
Lesley Manville, Another Year  ------->
Sylvie Testud, Lourdes
Lotte Verbeek, Nothing Personal

Manville, an Oscar contender for Mike Leigh's Another Year is causing quite the category confusion already...the BIFA awarded her a supporting actress nomination, whereas her she's lead.  Of course the European Film Awards don't have supporting acting categories, so perhaps a moo point.

BEST EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER
Jorge Guerricaechevarria & Daniel Monzon, Cell 211
Radu Milhaileanu, The Concert
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski, The Ghost Writer
Samuel Maoz, Lebanon

BEST EUROPEAN ANIMATED FEATURE
The Illusionist
Planet 51
Sammy's Adventures: The Secret Passage

BEST EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY
Armadillo
Nostalgia for the Light
Steam of Life

BEST EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER
Bans Ozbicer, Honey
Pavel Kostomarov, How I Ended This Summer
Giora Bejach, Lebanon
Caroline Champetier, Of Gods & Men

BEST EUROPEAN FILM EDITOR
Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier, Carlos
Herve de Luze, The Ghost Writer
Arik Lahav-Leibovich, Lebanon

BEST EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER
Albrecht Konrad, The Ghost Writer
Paola Bizzarri & Luis Ramirez, I, Don Guiovanni
Markku Patila & Jaagup Roomet, The Temptation of St. Tony

BEST EUROPEAN COMPOSER
Gary Yershon, Another Year
Alexandre Desplat, The Ghost Writer
Ales Brezina, Kawasaki's Rose
Pasquale Catalano, Loose Cannons