...which you probably did.
Jose here, happy to report that Michael Haneke's extraordinary Amour was the big winner at the European Film Awards held in Malta, winning the awards for Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Jean-Louis Tringtinant) and Best Actress (Emmanuelle Riva) leaving the film one award shy of having earned the "big five", something that's never happened in the EFA's twenty five year history.
Following the film in wins were Shame and Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy which swept the technical awards with two each. Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt won the award for Best Screenplay and Helen Mirren received the award for Achievement in World Cinema.
One thing I've always loved about the European Film Awards is how "odd" they are. People in America, used to the glitzy PC-ness of the Oscars and the Golden Globes, would be shocked to see how "real" and even careless their European counterparts are. This after all is the same awards show where I first saw Tahar Rahim's penis and enjoyed reactions of David Kross as he was caught playing with his iPhone.
I screencapped my favorite moments of this year's ceremony for your enjoyment:
I loved Thomas Vinterberg's "Haneke's winning this" face, which changed - for the better - after he ended up winning this award.
As Nathaniel has pointed out in the past, he is one of the best looking filmmakers out there...
Dame Helen Mirren was the epitome of humbleness as she blushed and looked away while Michael Gambon praised the **** outta her before presenting her with the Achievement in World Cinema Award. Upon receiving it she gracefully thanked Claudia Cardinale, Jeanne Moreau and Hannah Schygulla for being actresses, and women, she aspired to be like. Don't you think it'd be a blast to have a drink with her and then talk movies? Just remember she's claimed her favorite movie of all time is L'atalante...all rising starlets take a cue from her: you can be both stunningly sexy and brilliant.
Even though Sean Bobbit won the Cinematography award for Shame I loved the film school feel of the introduction to Darius Khondji's work in Amour which was apparently shot entirely inside a studio. The presenter aptly praised Khondji for lighting the sets so well that the actors could move freely around and we never realized it wasn't real sun coming in through the windows.
Gotta love Vinterberg's "I have a shot at this, Haneke" face as they presented the Best Director award.
Haneke ended up winning Best Director (now having won every time he has been nominated and becoming EFA's reigning champ) only this time he brought a translator. In what turned to be another of his awesome Haneke-ian moments (a dry carelessness that fake Twitter account still hasn't been able to grasp) he left after finishing his speech, leaving the translator by herself onstage.
Anke Engelke. who hosted the awards for the fourth straight time, did a hilarious sketch about how Shame was one of her all-time favorite movies because Michael Fassbender was "running around naked 90% of the time" in it. George Clooney, you're not alone in the Fassboner oggling.
The wonderful Jean-Louis Tringtinant sent a video speech to thank the Academy for his Best Actor award. He rightfully won over the obnoxious gentlemen of The Untouchables and upset frontrunner Mads Mikkelsen who had won the Best Actor award in Cannes for his performance in The Hunt. Tringtinant's lovely screen counterpart Emmanuelle Riva couldn't pick up her Best Actress award either due to an illness :(
Amour ended up picking up four awards and as Michael Haneke picked up his Best Film award (he and Lars von Trier are now tied with three Best Films each) I couldn't help but wonder how does he come up with such bleak themes for his movies when Madame Haneke always looks SO happy for him? She smiled like no one ever does in his movies all through the night and to be honest, she totally has a Julie Christie vibe going on, no?
Oh, before I forget, the EFA's don't ever really factor much in terms of Oscar. The last time one of their Best Film nominees won a Best Picture Oscar was never and the last Best Film winner to win a Best Foreign Language Film award was The Lives of Others in 2006. So don't expect these winners to mean anything much in terms of AMPAS, although, and this is me just being a snob, an EFA Best Director lineup is usually orgasm worthy. Curiously left out of the race this year was Jacques Audiard's Rust and Bone which was elegible but received zero nominations.
Did you see the ceremony? If so what was your favorite part? Do you think Rust and Bone will pick up some steam in our part of the world? Are you thrilled about Amour winning big?