Justine Triet’s “Anatomy of a Fall,” an arthouse mystery exploring sexual jealousy and creative rivalry between two married writers, dominated the European Film Awards (EFA) in Berlin on Saturday night. The French Alps-set drama secured four out of the five major awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, and Best Actress for lead Sandra Hüller.
The narrative revolves around a fatal incident at a chalet, and Hüller’s performance garnered her the coveted Best Actress accolade, marking her second win after her previous triumph for “Toni Erdmann” in 2016. German actor Hüller, also nominated for her role in Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest,” now stands alongside esteemed actresses who have won the award more than once.
Mads Mikkelsen, the Danish actor, claimed the Best Actor award for his portrayal of a commoner-turned-captain in Nikolaj Arcel’s period drama, “The Promised Land.”
Despite initial expectations for a competitive race involving “Anatomy of a Fall,” “The Zone of Interest,” and Aki Kaurismäki’s “Falling Leaves,” Triet’s film outshone the others, garnering six awards in total. Glazer and Kaurismäki’s films had relatively modest outcomes, with Glazer’s Auschwitz drama receiving only the Best Sound award.
During her acceptance speech, Hüller urged a minute’s silence for peace without specifying a particular conflict. Triet, discussing the film’s Oscar aspirations, expressed determination to continue down that path, now that they are in the race.
Co-written by Triet and her husband, Arthur Harari, during the Covid lockdown, “Anatomy of a Fall” delves into the complexities of the relationship between Sandra and her husband, Samuel, both writers intertwining their personal lives with their creative work. Triet’s partner suggested that the film’s depiction of a multilingual couple might symbolize a positive sign for the Franco-German alliance within the European Union.
Other notable winners included the documentary “Smoke Sauna Sisterhood,” directed by Anna Hints from Estonia, who delivered her acceptance speech in the form of a song.
- Full list of awards
- Best film Anatomy of a Fall
- European Discovery (Fipresci prize) How to Have Sex
- Best documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
- Best animated feature Robot Dreams
- Best short film Hardly Working
- Best director Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
- Best actress Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall
- Best actor Mads Mikkelsen
- Best screenwriter Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall
- Best cinematography The Promised Land
- Best editing Anatomy of a Fall
- Best production design La Chimera
- Best costume design The Promised Land
- Best hair and makeup Society of the Snow
- Best original score Club Zero
- Best sound The Zone of Interest
- Best visual effects Society of the Snow
- EFA lifetime achievement award Vanessa Redgrave
- European achievement in world cinema Isabel Coixet
- European co-production award (Prix Eurimages) Uljana Kim
- European university film award Anatomy of a Fall
- Young audience award Scrapper
- Sustainability award Güler Sabanci
- Honorary Award of the Academy President and Board Béla Tarr
