Polish pianist Hania Rani won a European Film Award for her music to “Sentimental Value,” which dominated the 2026 ceremony in Berlin.
European Film Awards 2026 – Winners
The European Film Awards 2026 were presented on Saturday in Berlin. “Sentimental Value” directed by Joachim Trier won six statuettes, including the top honor for Best European Film. The production also won awards for direction, screenplay (shared by Trier and Eskil Vogt), and music composed by Polish pianist Hania Rani. Main actors Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård also received awards.
Multiple Honors for “Sirāt” and Other Winners
“Sirāt” directed by Olivier Laxe was honored in five categories: casting director, cinematography, editing, production design and sound. “Fiume o morte!” was named European Documentary Film 2026, while “Arco” won for European Animated Film. “City of Poets” received the European Short Film award, “Looking at the Sun” won for costumes, and “Bugonia” was honored for character design. “On Falling” received the European Discovery – FIPRESCI Award, and “Lavita da grandi” won the European Youth Audience Award.
Lifetime Achievement Honors
Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann received the European Film Award for lifetime achievement. Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher accepted the Award for Outstanding European Achievement in World Cinema. Maren Ade, Jonas Dornbach and Janine Jackowski were honored with the Eurimages International Co-Productions Award.
European Oscars
The European Film Awards, presented by the European Film Academy, are the most prestigious awards for European films, often described as the European equivalent of the Oscars. The award for Best European Film was first given in 1988 to Krzysztof Kieślowski for “A Short Film About Killing.” In 2014, Paweł Pawlikowski’s “Ida” was honored, followed by his “Cold War” four years later.
