Tidal wave in favor of Anatomy of a Fall at the European Film Awards News

From our journalist in Berlin,

For 35 years, the European Film Awards have rewarded the best auteur cinema from the Old Continent. After having praised Unfilter for the Palme d'Or in Reykjavik last year, its members reserved a tidal wave this Saturday in Berlin, for Anatomy of a Fall. Like its predecessor Without Filter, Justine Triet's palme d'or won the grand slam: best film, best direction, best actress... This tidal wave left nothing to its rivals and completes the collection well. provided by Justine Triet.

Anatomy of a Fall won six statuettes. The Palme d’Or first won the screenplay prize. “The idea for Anatomy of a Fall came to my partner Arthur Harari and me during confinement. We tested the strength of our bond by writing this story about a couple whose relationship is no longer working. This tipping point when everything becomes a negotiation, from the most trivial to the most fundamental: raising a child, time spent for oneself, sexuality. I wanted this crisis to be seen through the eyes of their son,” said its author Justine Triet, while her companion welcomed, via zoom, a European prize for this multilingual and borderless Palme d’Or, held by a German actress speaking French and English.

This was followed by the achievement award. “I wrote this film for my actress Sandra Hüller, her voice, her body. I didn't want to make his character a victim. She is judged by her independence, her sexuality, her creativity. Qualities that come from a man, not a woman. She succeeds where her husband failed,” said Justine Triet. The coronation of its actress Sandra Hüller did not take long. The German actress was also nominated for her chilling performance as a Nazi housewife in The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer. In her acceptance speech, she asked for a few moments of silence to “imagine peace together.”

When announcing her victory in the best film category, Justine Triet exclaimed, “That’s a lot,” before thanking her charismatic producer Marie-Ange Luciani. These last few weeks have been triumphant for the director, who has won numerous awards in the United States (Gotham Awards, National Board Of Review, New York critics' circle) and in England.

This dynamic across the Atlantic and this harvest at the European Film Awards confirm that Anatomy of a Fall, which achieved a good box office in the United States, appeals to all audiences. The feature film has the potential to create a surprise at the Oscars. If the legal thriller was not selected by the CNC to represent France at the Oscar for best foreign film, it can hope to shine in the general categories. Experts believe that Anatomy of a Fall has a good chance of garnering nominations in the best screenplay or even best film sections at the end of January.

In the press room, Justine Triet said she was “overwhelmed by the destiny of her film” and “ready to begin” the long-distance race that is the campaign for Oscar nominations. The CNC's disappointment is a thing of the past. “This decision was made by a handful of officials. But Anatomy of a Fall touched countless spectators,” stressed Sandra Hüller.

An unfortunate competitor to Anatomy of a Fall at Cannes and this awards season, The Zone of Interest by Jonathan Glazer, which explores the banality of evil in Auschwitz, was unable to convert any of its five nominations. Just like the melancholy idyll Dead Leaves by Aki Kaurismäki. The best actor prize went to Dane Mads Mikkelsen for the historical drama The Promised Land about the stubbornness in the 18th century of a captain who sets out to conquer a Danish moor deemed uncultivable. The lucky winner was absent, detained in Tokyo.

Already winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at Cannes, Molly Manning Walker walked away with the discovery trophy for How To Have Sex about the injunctions faced by adolescents regarding sexuality. “In making this film, we hoped that it would be seen. We did not realize to what extent so many spectators would unfortunately recognize themselves in the abuse suffered by Tara,” said the Briton. She returned to the stage to receive the statuette of the Scrapper Young Europeans Prize, produced by her friend Charlotte Reagan, for whom she was responsible for the cinematography.

Beyond this list, Matthijs Wouter Knol, president of the European Cinema Academy in charge of the ceremony, retains “a 2023 vintage under the sign of frenzy, marked by the emergence of numerous European territories and the presence of more more marked on the screen by war, conflict, violence, a feeling of being sidelined. And to decipher: “Everything that happens in the news infuses the films we have seen. Is it a coincidence that two of this year's flagship feature films Me, Captain and Green Border talk about the daily struggle for survival of migrants and people thrown onto the paths of exile in an odyssey that they do not have not always chosen? Others, like Anatomy of a Fall and The Zone of Interest, emphasize the dichotomy between the private sphere, family life and what happens in the outside world.

“Complex characters pass by who question us: What do we believe in? What are our values ? Our priorities? What is the basis for our decisions?”, adds Matthijs Wouter Knol, who welcomes a near parity (40%) between male and female directors and the emergence of a new generation of filmmakers with assured beginnings. Like Molly Manning Walker. The European Film Awards take place every other year in Berlin. This 36th edition saw the gala return to Berlin for the first time since 2019 (covid obliges). As prophesied by Matthijs Wouter Knol, the evening paid homage to its host city. The mistress of ceremonies thus insisted on the need to vote in the European elections next June.

“Never has the role of European cinema in building a bridge between our member countries been so essential, at a time when incomprehension and mistrust are growing, where our citizens prefer to give in to stereotypes rather than their curiosity” , concludes Matthijs Wouter Knol, who recalls that the primary role of his Academy is to allow filmmakers and artists of all nationalities to help each other and facilitate co-production projects.

Best Film Award: Anatomy of a Fall

Directing Award: Justine Triet for Anatomy of a Fall

Screenplay Award: Anatomy of a Fall

Best Actress Award: Sandra Hüller for Anatomy of a Fall

Best Actor Award: Mads Mikkelsen for The Promised Land

Editing Award: Anatomy of a Fall

Artistic Direction Award: The Promised Land

Special Effects Prize: The Circle of Snow

Sound Price: The Area of Interest

Set price: La Chimère

Price of makeup and hair: The Circle of Snow

Prix des costumes : The Promised Land