The European Film Awards have announced their annual year-straddling list of nominees and featured heavily are several Oscar contenders from 2012 and 2013. Recognisable names like Keira Knightley, Naomi Watts (not for Diana, thankfully) and Jude Law rub shoulders with Felix van Groeningen, Fabrice Luchini and Luminita Gheorghium, which is just how we like it!
However, like many award shows at this time of the year the biggest eyebrows isn't so much in what they nominated, but what they didn't. The cries of "snub!" will surely come thick and fast for Adele Exarchopolous and Lea Seydoux who failed to make the actress nominees for their soaring performances in Blue is the Warmest Color. Lucky then that the film picked up major nominations in picture and director for controversial Abdellatif Kechiche. Movies amassing big nomination hauls include Belgian Oscar hopeful The Broken Circle Breakdown, Italian Oscar hopeful The Great Beauty, and Germany's hit Oh, Boy! while films representing Romania, and Spain (albeit last year) also popped up prominently as did Francois Ozon's In the House.
High profile films amongst films that the EFA didn't find room for include Oscar-nominee Kon-tiki, Only God Forgives, A Hijacking, The Selfish Giant, Berberian Sound Studio (sadly - the best horror film of the last few years!), Borgman, and What Richard Did. Here's the list of nominees + the additional technical winners that have already been announced.
Best European Film
The Best Offer
Blancanieves
Blue is the Warmest Color
The Broken Circle Breakdown
The Great Beauty
Oh Boy!
Best European Director
Giuseppe Tornatore, The Best Offer
Pablo Berger, Blancanieves
Abdellatif Kechiche, Blue is the Warmest Color
Felix van Groeningen, The Broken Circle Breakdown
Paolo Sorrentino, The Great Beauty
François Ozon, In the House
Veerle Baetens in 'The Broken Circle Brokedown'
Best European Actress
Veerle Baetens, The Broken Circle Breakdown
Luminita Gheorghiu, Child's Pose
Keira Knightley, Anna Karenina
Barbara Sukowa, Hannah Arendt
Naomi Watts, The Impossible
Best European Actor
Johan Heldenbergh, "The Broken Circle Breakdown"
Jude Law, "Anna Karenina"
Fabrice Luchini, "In the House"
Tom Schilling, "Oh Boy!"
Toni Servillo, "The Great Beauty"
Tom Schilling in 'Oh Boy!'
Best European Screenwriter
Tom Stoppard, Anna Karenina
Giuseppe Tornatore, The Best Offer
Carl Joos and Felix van Groeningen, The Broken Circle Breakdown
Paolo Sorrentino and Umberto Contarello, The Great Beauty
François Ozon, In the House
Best European Comedy
I'm So Excited!
Love is All You Need
The Priest's Children
Welcome, Mr. President!
Best European Animated Film
The Congress
Jasmine
Pinocchio
Best European Documentary
The Act of Killing
The Missing Picture
Stop-Over
Best European Discovery (FIPRESCI Prize)
Call Girl
Eat Sleep Die
Honey
Oh Boy!
The Plague
Best European Cinematographer
Fill the Void
Best European Editor
The Great Beauty
Best European Production Designer
Anna Karenina
Best European Costume Designer
Blancanieves
Best European Composer
The Best Offer
Best European Sound Designer
Paradise: Faith
Did the EFA miss the boat on those Blue actors or are those Palme d'Ors European honor enough? And I know y'all are just dying to speak up in the comments about that sound design award for Ulrich Seidl's Paradise: Faith. It's unique citations like that that make me cherish award shows that aren't out to predict what the Academy will do.