European Film Academy Opens Best Film Category to Docs, Animated Features

The European Film Academy has modified its voting system to permit documentaries and animated movies to qualify for the European Film Prize’s high honor, greatest European movie.

The change, introduced on Tuesday, will take speedy impact ranging from the thirty seventh European Film Awards, which we be held in Lucerne, Switzerland on December 7.

“The aim of this change is to better reflect the fact that documentaries and animated feature films are an essential part of European cinema culture, adding much to its great diversity,” the Academy stated in an announcement. “Both documentary and animated films come in a plethora of genres, storytelling traditions and narrative forms, for any audience.”

Characteristic-length documentaries and animated movies will probably be eligible to compete of their respective classes of European documentary and European animated characteristic movie in addition to for greatest European movie.

“The decision of the Board of the European Film Academy reflects a long wish from members to a fairer and more equal chance for all feature-length films to compete for this recognition,” stated Academy CEO Matthijs Wouter Knol. “The decision reflects a changing perception in our industry of the value of all films made. I’m proud and grateful that the European Film Academy, in a process of increasing transparency and equality for all who work in European cinema, has taken this step and embraces this change.”

Among the many movies that would profit from this rule change are Mati Diop’s Berlin festival-winning documentary Dahomey; the political doc No Different Land, one other Berlin pageant winner, which seems to be at Israeli settlers within the occupied West Financial institution; Gints Zilbalodis’ animated characteristic Move, a winner at Annecy and Latvia’s official entry for the 2025 Oscars; and Sauvages, the newest claymation characteristic from Oscar-nominated Swiss director Claude Barras (My Life as a Zucchini).