European Film Academy facts for kids

The European Film Academy is an organization that celebrates and supports movies made in Europe. It was started by a group of European filmmakers in Berlin in November 1988. They wanted to honor great European films and the people who make them.

The Academy was first called the European Cinema Society. Famous director Ingmar Bergman was its first President, along with 40 other filmmakers. These included Bernardo Bertolucci, Claude Chabrol, Dušan Makavejev, István Szabó, and Wim Wenders.

Every year, the Academy gives out the European Film Awards to special films and filmmakers. The awards show happens in a different European city every two years. In the years in between, it takes place in Berlin.

About the European Film Academy

The European Film Academy was officially started in 1988. It was first known as the European Cinema Society. Its main goal was to share European film culture around the world. It also aimed to support the European film industry.

The first President was Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. Wim Wenders was chosen as the Chairman. A year later, the name changed to European Film Academy. It became a non-profit group.

In 1996, Wim Wenders became the President. He took over from Ingmar Bergman. Nik Powell became the new Chairman. The Academy's Board has members from different parts of Europe. They are elected for two years. Board meetings happen three times a year. One meeting is always in Berlin, where the Academy is based.

In 2021, Polish filmmaker Agnieszka Holland became the third President. The current Chair of the Board is Mike Downey. The Academy started with a limit of 99 members. Now, it has grown to 4,225 members (as of December 2021). The Academy works closely with many groups in the European film industry.

Who Leads the Academy?

The European Film Academy has a clear structure to help it run smoothly.

• President: Agnieszka Holland (since 2021)
• Chair of the Board: Mike Downey (since 2020)
• CEO and Director: Matthijs Wouter Knol (since 2021)
• Deputy Chairs: Rebecca O'Brien, Ada Solomon

The Board also includes many other members. They represent different countries and areas of filmmaking. Some well-known members are Ildikó Enyedi, Nina Hoss, Baltasar Kormákur, and Jim Sheridan.

The Academy also has honorary members on its Board. These are people who have made a big impact.

• Honorary members of the Board: Sir Ben Kingsley, István Szabó

Where are the Members From?

The European Film Academy has members in 52 countries across Europe. This includes Israel and Palestine. Here are some countries with more than 20 members:

• Germany 532
• UK 321
• France 279
• Italy 256
• Spain 236
• Denmark 185
• Poland 142
• The Netherlands 107
• Sweden 103
• Belgium 97
• Switzerland 92
• Israel 84
• Austria 83
• Finland 70
• Ireland 69
• Czech Republic 58
• Norway 58
• Greece 55
• Hungary 53
• Russia 49
• Iceland 49
• Bulgaria 40
• Romania 32
• Serbia 31
• Croatia 27
• Kosovo 23
• Estonia 21
• Slovenia 21

How the Academy is Funded

The European Film Academy gets most of its money from a few main sources. These include the German National Lottery and the German government's culture department. It also gets support from Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg.

The European Film Awards ceremony is funded separately. A company called European Film Academy Productions handles the awards show. It is part of the Academy. Many people from the international film industry also support the awards. This shows how important the European Film Awards are to the film world.

Recent Changes

Since 2021, the European Film Academy has made some changes. It no longer uses the short name "EFA." Instead, it uses its full name or just "Academy." It also updated its look with a new logo and digital systems in August 2021. A Polish design company called Huncwot created the new logo.

Academy Activities

Throughout the year, the European Film Academy organizes many activities. These events focus on film policies, business, art, and training. A key goal is to connect creative people with the film industry. Some of the Academy's events are very important for filmmakers in Europe.

The Short Film Initiative

This project works with fifteen film festivals across Europe. At each festival, a special jury chooses one European short film. This film then gets a nomination for the European Film Awards.

A Sunday in the Country

This is a special weekend event. About 10 young European filmmakers meet with experienced Academy members. They share ideas and experiences in a relaxed setting. This helps new filmmakers learn from the best.

Conferences and Seminars

The Academy holds and supports many discussions about film. These events help people talk about what European film is. They also explore how it is changing and where it is headed. This keeps the conversation about European cinema alive.

Master Classes

These classes offer great training for young talent. They combine learning in theory with hands-on practice. Many famous film professionals have taught these classes. Some of them include Jean-Jacques Annaud, Jan De Bont, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Tilda Swinton, and István Szabó.

European Film Awards

The annual European Film Awards ceremony is the Academy's most famous event. Until 1997, it was known as the FELIX awards. The Academy uses these awards to achieve several goals. It wants to make people more interested in European cinema. It also aims to show off the artistic quality of European films. Finally, it wants people to enjoy European movies for entertainment.

To help with this, the People's Choice Award was added in 1997. In 2020, this award joined with the Lux Award from the European Parliament. It is now called the LUX Audience Award. The films nominated for this award are announced at the European Film Awards ceremony. After that, these nominated films are shown to the public in many European cities.

Members of the European Film Academy help choose, nominate, and vote for the European Film Awards.

The European Film Awards happen in the second weekend of December. This makes them the first major awards show in the international awards season. Many films that win or are nominated for a European Film Award later go on to win other big awards. These include the Golden Globes or the Oscars. Filmmakers and distributors have said that winning a European Film Award helps their films get noticed for other international awards.

Awards Week Events

The Academy organizes special events around the European Film Awards. These used to be weekend discussions and conferences in the city hosting the awards. For example, in 1999 in Berlin, they talked about new ways to make films. In 2000 in Paris, famous filmmakers like Wim Wenders and Liv Ullmann gave speeches about the role of cinema. Big changes to these events were made in 2021.

Month of European Film

Starting in 2022, the European Film Academy holds a "Month of European Film" every year. This program highlights European films in the month before the European Film Awards. Films are shown in cinemas, on TV, and on streaming platforms. A trial version of this month happened in Berlin in 2021. The first official Month of European Film began in November 2022 at the Seville European Film Festival. It took place in many European cities at the same time.

Images for kids

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  The Theater des Westens in Berlin, where the first ceremony of the European Film Awards was held in 1988.

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  Ingmar Bergman, the Academy's first President from 1988–96

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  Wim Wenders, the second President of the European Film Academy (1996-2020)

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  Agnieszka Holland, the third and current President of the European Film Academy (2021-)

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  The Theater des Westens in Berlin was the first venue of the European Film Awards in 1988

See also

In Spanish: Academia de Cine Europeo para niños