Fatherland leads 39th European Film Awards with 11 nominations

Fatherland and La Bola Negra dominate the competition

It is currently the most nominated feature in the selection.

Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi’s film La Bola Negra follows in second place with 10 nominations. Cristian Mungiu’s film Fjord ranks third in the competition with five nominations.

Sandra Hüller and top directors among key contenders

Sandra Hüller features prominently in the best actress category, securing nominations for her performances in both Fatherland and Rose. She faces competition from Penélope Cruz in Bunker, Léa Seydoux in Gentle Monster, Renate Reinsve in Fjord, and Mathilde Arcel in Woman Unknown.

The European director award sees Pawel Pawlikowski for Fatherland, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi for La Bola Negra, and Cristian Mungiu for Fjord nominated.

European actor nominees include Hanns Zischler for Fatherland, Javier Bardem for The Beloved, and Andrew Scott for Elsinore.

Plot details of leading features and notable contenders

Fatherland, a black-and-white drama set in 1949 Germany, explores the relationship between the author Thomas Mann and his daughter Erika, with Hanns Zischler and Sandra Hüller in the lead roles. The film is scheduled to open the IFFI Goa 2026 festival. Both Fatherland and La Bola Negra previously shared the best director prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

La Bola Negra is presented as a triptych concerning the history of gay men's sexuality.

This film also features Mathilde Arcel, who received the best actress award at the Venice Film Festival.

Documentary and animation category nominees

Documentary contenders include NAZA by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, which won the Special Jury Prize at Venice, and Rehearsals for a Revolution by Pegah Ahangarani, which won best documentary at Cannes.

Hiam Abbass receives honorary achievement award

Louis Clichy’s film Iron Boy is also a nominee for the European Young Audience Award.

The IFFI Goa 2026 festival will open with the screening of the Cannes winner Fatherland.

Academy voting process and January 2027 ceremony details

These members will now vote on the winners.

This date is positioned after the close of Academy Awards nomination voting on January 15 and before the announcement of Oscar nominations on January 21.

The films Bunker, Coward, Elsinore, Everytime, and Minotaur each received two nominations.

For historical context, the 2025 European Film Awards winners included Sentimental Value with six prizes and Sirat with five prizes.

The award winners will be revealed on January 16 in Athens.