European Film Academy (EFA) members, numbering more than 3800, have elected Polish director Agnieszka Holland as new EFA President.
The members also elected six new members to the EFA Board: Bettina Brokemper and Nina Hoss for Austria/Germany/Switzerland, Marta Donzelli for Italy, Ildikó Enyedi for Central & Eastern Europe, Leontine Petit for Belgium/Netherlands/Luxembourg and Antonio Saura for Spain/Portugal. Jim Sheridan has been re-elected for UK/Ireland and Christophe Leparc for France.
Agnieszka Holland takes over from German director Wim Wenders who has been the president of the European Film Academy since 1996.
“The time is challenging and to save the creative power of independent cinema and the involvement of our audience, we need to use all our experience and imagination,” commented Holland, “I believe there is an important role for EFA here and I am happy to be part of it.”
As announced in May 2020, the former Director of the Berlinale’s European Film Market Matthijs Wouter Knol will take over from Marion Döring as EFA Director.
“Whilst we welcome with open arms both Agnieszka and Matthijs,” says EFA Chair Mike Downey, “the departure of Wim Wenders and Marion Döring will mark the end of an era for the Academy… I know that I can speak for Wim, Marion and the Board, that the future of the Academy is assured with these two new appointments and that their experience and standing in the industry, backed by a re-invigorated board membership, bodes well in these increasingly mercurial times in which we live.”
Added new EFA director Matthijs Wouter Knol: “I’m looking forward to steering the Academy into new, sustainable directions by strengthening its position within Europe throughout the year, by expanding the community that’s involved, and by making it a more inclusive space for all.”
The full EFA Board, as of 1 January 2021, is as follows:
Chair: Mike Downey, producer, Ireland
Deputy Chairs: Rebecca O’Brien, producer, UK, Ada Solomon, producer, Romania
Board Members:
Graziella Bildesheim, institutional, Italy
Àngela Bosch Rius, producer, Spain
Bettina Brokemper, producer, Germany
Marta Donzelli, producer, Italy
Ildikó Enyedi, director, Hungary
Mike Goodridge, producer, UK
Nina Hoss, actress, Germany
Anita Juka, producer, Croatia
Baltasar Kormákur, director, Iceland
Christophe Leparc, festival, France
Leontine Petit, producer, Netherlands
Antonio Saura, producer, Spain
Katriel Schory, institutional, Israel
Jim Sheridan, director, Ireland
Joanna Szymańska, producer, Poland
Béatrice Thiriet, composer, France
The departing board members are Tilde Corsi, Valérie Delpierre, Vanessa Henneman, Henning Kamm, Ewa Puszczyńska and Ira von Gienanth.
