Get ready for a thrilling awards season, as some of the most talked-about films of the year have made it to the 2026 European Film Awards shortlist! It's an exciting mix of critically acclaimed movies and festival favorites, and we're about to dive into the details.
The European Film Academy has unveiled its extensive list of contenders, including feature films, documentaries, and animated masterpieces. These films will battle it out at the awards ceremony in Berlin on January 17th, 2026.
Among the top contenders are Yorgos Lanthimos' Bugonia, starring the talented duo Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons. This film has been generating buzz and is a strong contender for the awards. Another notable entry is Sentimental Value by Joachim Trier, featuring an impressive cast including Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgard.
But here's where it gets controversial... the shortlist also includes international films like It Was Just an Accident, directed by Jafar Panahi, and The Voice of Hind Rajab, directed by Kaouther Ben Hania. These films have sparked debates and divided opinions, making them even more intriguing choices for the awards.
The European Film Academy has strategically moved its awards ceremony to early January, positioning itself as a key player in the awards conversation. By doing so, the EFAs aim to celebrate the best of European cinema and set the tone for the upcoming BAFTAs and Oscars.
Now, let's take a closer look at the full EFA shortlist:
Feature Films:
- Bearcave (Arkoudotrypa) - A collaboration between Greece and the UK, directed by Krysianna B. Papadakis and Stergios Dinopoulos.
- Bugonia - Directed by the renowned Yorgos Lanthimos, this film stars Emma Stone and Jesse Plemons.
- Case 137 (Dossier 137) - Dominik Moll's French production.
- Christy - A joint effort between Ireland and the UK, directed by Brendan Canty.
- Deaf (Sorda) - Eva Libertad's Spanish film.
- Die My Love - Lynne Ramsay's production involving the UK, US, and Canada.
- Dreams (Drømmer) - Dag Johan Haugerud's Norwegian triumph.
- Duse - Pietro Marcello's Italian-French collaboration.
- Father (Otec) - Tereza Nvotová's Slovakian-Czech-Polish project.
- Franz - Agnieszka Holland's Czech-German-Polish film.
- Fuori - Mario Martone's Italian-French venture.
- I Only Rest in the Storm (O Riso e a Faca) - Pedro Pinho's Portuguese-French-Brazilian-Romanian creation.
- It Was Just an Accident (Un simple accident) - Jafar Panahi's French-Iranian-Luxembourgish masterpiece.
- La Grazia - Paolo Sorrentino's Italian production.
- Late Shift (Heldin) - Petra Volpe's Swiss-German film.
- Little Trouble Girls (Kaj ti je deklica) - Urška Djukić's Slovenian-Italian-Croatian-Serbian film.
- Love Me Tender - Anna Cazenave Cambet's French romantic drama.
- Loveable (Elskling) - Lilja Ingolfsdottir's Norwegian film.
- Maspalomas - Jose Mari Goenaga and Aitor Arregi's Spanish production.
- Milk Teeth (Dinti de lapte) - Mihai Mincan's Romanian-French-Danish-Greek-Bulgarian collaboration.
- Mirrors No. 3 (Miroirs No. 3) - Christian Petzold's German film.
- Mother - Teona Strugar Mitevska's North Macedonian-Belgian production.
- On Falling - Laura Carreira's UK-Portuguese film.
- Once Upon a Time in Gaza - Tarzan Nasser and Arab Nasser's French-Palestinian-German-Portuguese-Qatari-Jordanian collaboration.
- One of Those Days When Hemme Dies (Hemme’nin öldüğü günlerden biri) - Murat Fıratoğlu's Turkish-German film.
- Palestine 36 - Annemarie Jacir's Palestinian-UK-French-Danish-Norwegian production.
- Pillion - Harry Lighton's UK film.
- Romeria (Romería) - Carla Simón's Spanish-German collaboration.
- Sentimental Value (Affeksjonsverdi) - Joachim Trier's Norwegian-French-Danish-German-Swedish film.
- Silent Friend - Ildikó Enyedi's German-French-Hungarian production.
- Sirat (Sirât) - Oliver Laxe's Spanish-French film.
- Sleepless City (Ciudad sin sueño) - Guillermo Galoe's Spanish-French film.
- Sound of Falling (In die Sonne schauen) - Mascha Schilinski's German film.
- Sundays (Los domingos) - Alauda Ruiz de Azúa's Spanish film.
- The Last Viking (Den sidste viking) - Anders Thomas Jensen's Danish-Swedish production.
- The Little Sister (La petite dernière) - Hafsia Herzi's French-German film.
- The Love That Remains (Ástin sem eftir er) - Hlynur Pálmason's Icelandic-Danish-Swedish-French film.
- The North - Bart Schrijver's Dutch film.
- The Stranger (L’Étranger) - François Ozon's French thriller.
- The Voice of Hind Rajab - Kaouther Ben Hania's French-Tunisian film.
- Two Prosecutors - Sergei Loznitsa's French-German-Dutch-Latvian-Romanian-Lithuanian production.
- What Marielle Knows (Was Marielle Weiss) - Frédéric Hambalek's German film.
- Yes (Ken) - Nadav Lapid's French-Israeli-Cypriot-German film.
- Young Mothers (Jeunes mères) - Jean-Pierre Dardenne and Luc Dardenne's Belgian-French production.
Documentary Films:
- Afternoons of Solitude (Tardes de soledad) - Albert Serra's Spanish-French documentary.
- An American Pastoral (Une pastorale americaine) - Auberi Edler's French documentary.
- Ancestral Visions of the Future - Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese's French-Lesotho-German-Qatari-Saudi Arabian documentary.
- Fiume o morte! - Igor Bezinović's Croatian-Slovenian-Italian documentary.
- Flophouse America - Monica Strømdahl's Norwegian-Dutch-American documentary.
- Good Valley Stories (Historias del buen valle) - José Luis Guerin's Spanish-French documentary.
- Hair, Paper, Water… (Tóc, giấy và nước…) - Nicolas Graux and Minh Quý Trương's Belgian-French-Vietnamese documentary.
- Listen to the Voices (Kouté vwa) - Maxime Jean-Baptiste's Belgian-French documentary.
- Memory - Vladlena Sandu's French-Dutch documentary.
- Militantropos - Yelizaveta Smith, Alina Gorlova, and Simon Mozgovyi's Ukrainian-Austrian-French documentary.
- Riefenstahl - Andres Veiel's German documentary.
- Songs of Slow Burning Earth (Pisni zemli shscho povolno horyt) - Olha Zhurba's Ukrainian-French-Danish-Swedish documentary.
- The Shards (Oskolky) - Masha Chernaya's Georgian-German documentary.
- Twst / Things We Said Today - Andrei Ujică's French-Romanian documentary.
- With Hasan in Gaza - Kamal Aljafari's German documentary.
Animated Feature Films:
- Arco - Ugo Bienvenu's French animated film.
- Balentes - Giovanni Columbu's Italian-German animated production.
- Checkered Ninja 3 (Ternet Ninja 3) - Anders Matthesen and Thorbjørn Christoffersen's Danish animated film.
- Dandelion's Odyssey (Planetes) - Momoko Seto's French animated film.
- Dog of God (Dieva Suns) - Raitis Abele and Lauris Abele's Latvian-American animated film.
- Little Amelie (Amélie et la métaphysique des tubes) - Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han's French animated film.
- Olivia and the Invisible Earthquake (L’Olívia i el terratrèmol invisible) - Irene Iborra Rizo's Spanish-French-Belgian-Swiss-Chilean animated film.
- Tales from the Magic Garden (Pohádky po babičce) - David Súkup, Patrik Pašš, Leon Vidmar, and Jean-Claude Rozec's Czech-Slovak-Slovenian-French animated collaboration.
These films represent the best of European cinema, and the awards season is sure to be a thrilling ride. Who do you think will take home the top honors? Share your predictions and thoughts in the comments below! Let's discuss and celebrate the magic of European films together!
