European Film Academy selects 68 films for shortlist
The selection for the 2027 European Film Awards represents 40 European countries and opens the official campaign period.
Translated from Dutch by AI
The European Film Academy has announced the shortlist for the 39th European Film Awards. A total of 68 feature films have been selected for the nomination phase, which continues on 14 November with the announcement of most of the nominations.
The shortlist comprises 45 fiction films, 15 documentaries and eight animated films. The works represent 40 European countries and include both established creators and new filmmakers, as well as cross-border productions. According to the Academy, 25 of the selected films were directed or co-directed by women.
The European Film Academy is a membership organisation for professionals from the European film sector. Its members vote on the nominations and winners in most categories. The shortlist is therefore neither a jury prize nor a final nomination, but the first public selection on which the further campaign and voting are based.
For producers and distributors, the announcement has direct practical value. Under the Academy’s campaign rules, rights holders may use their selection from the shortlist publicly for promotional purposes. The Academy is also linking it to a European screening programme through partner cinemas in 125 cities.
That makes the shortlist relevant to sales discussions, festival positioning and cinema planning. A selected film gains additional visibility before the nominations are finalised. At the same time, the commercial effects remain uncertain: the selection guarantees neither a nomination, a distribution deal, a cinema release nor audience reach.
The nominations in most of the main categories will be announced on 14 November during the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. These include European Film, European Director, European Actress, European Actor, European Screenwriter, cinematography, editing, production design and sound.
The awards ceremony is scheduled for 16 January 2027 in Athens. For European sales agents and distributors, the key new information now lies in the combination of visibility and timing: until early November, selected films can build on their status, after which the nomination phase may further alter their market value.
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The selection numbers, countries represented and next steps have been directly confirmed by the European Film Academy. The business significance is described as context, not as a guaranteed market effect.
- Confirmed The shortlist contains 68 feature films: 45 fiction films, 15 documentaries and eight animated films. — These numbers appear in the official announcement.
- Confirmed The selected films represent 40 European countries. — The European Film Academy names 40 countries.
- Confirmed Most of the nominations will be announced on 14 November 2026 in Thessaloniki. — The schedule is stated in the official announcement.
- Confirmed The ceremony will take place on 16 January 2027 in Athens. — This is stated by the Academy and filmportal.de.
- Confirmed Rights holders may use their shortlist status for promotional purposes from the announcement onwards. — This follows from the official campaign rules.
Editor’s note
The numbers, countries, schedule and campaign rules have been confirmed. The commercial consequences of the shortlist are possible effects, not established outcomes.Sources
- The European Film Academy announces the European Film Awards Shortlist — European Film Academy
- European Award Season campaign rules — European Film Academy
- Die European Film Academy gibt die European Film Awards Shortlist bekannt — filmportal.de