The European Film Academy announced November 7 the five documentary nominees in the European Documentary category of the 36th European Film Awards, which “celebrate the best of European Film culture.” The nominations are based on the votes of 4,600 members of the European Film Academy.
The award ceremony will take place on 9 December in Berlin.
The nominations are:
- APOLONIA, APOLONIA directed by Lea Glob (Denmark, Poland). The talented Apolonia grows up seeking her place in the art world while grappling with the agonies and joys of womanhood and relationships in a world dominated by patriarchy, capitalism, and war.
- FOUR DAUGHTERS (LES FILLES D’OLFA) directed by Kaouther Ben Hania (France, Tunisia, Germany, Saudi Arabia). A musician is blessed with four musical prodigies, all girls, and cursed when a troubled young composer enters the lives of his Four Daughters.
- MOTHERLAND directed by Hanna Badziaka & Alexander Mihalkovich (Sweden, Ukraine, Norway). After the loss of her son, Svetlana investigates the violent culture of the Belarusian army. A group of friends soon to be enlisted, they go to rave parties and protest march following the re-election of Aleksandr Lukashenko.
- ON THE ADAMANT (SUR L’ADAMANT) directed by Nicolas Philibert (France, Japan). The film follows patients and caregivers at a psychiatric centre with a unique floating structure located in the middle of the Seine river in central Paris.
- SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (SAVVUSANNA SÕSARAD) directed by Anna Hints (Estonia, France, Iceland). In the darkness of a smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets and intimate experiences, washing off the shame trapped in their bodies and regaining their strength through a sense of communion.
Now the Academy members will vote for the winners. Read here details of the awarding procedure.
The annual Academy Selection is based on and reflects the excellent quality of each film. During the selection process the Diversity & Inclusion Standards of the European Film Academy have been taken into consideration.
In 2022 the European Documentary Prize was awarded posthumously to Lithuanian filmmaker Mantas Kvedaravičius’ for his Mariupolis 2.
