European University Film Award

Starting off with 13 universities from 13 countries in first edition, the 8th edition saw 24 universities and 24 countries:

• Belgium | Antwerp: University of Antwerp
• Czech Republic | Prague: Charles University
• Denmark | Aarhus: Aarhus University
• Finland | Turku: University of Turku
• France | Paris : Université Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3
• Germany | Potsdam: Filmuniversität Babelsberg 'Konrad Wolf'
• Greece | Mytilini (Lesbos): University of the Aegean
• Hungary | Budapest: Pázmány Péter Catholic University
• Iceland | Reykjavik: University of Iceland
• Ireland | Cork: University College Cork
• Israel | Tel Aviv: Steve Tisch School of Cinema and Television Studies at Tel-Aviv University
• Italy | Udine: University of Udine
• Latvia | Riga: Latvian Academy of Culture
• Lithuania | Vilnius: Vilnius University
• Netherlands | Utrecht: Utrecht University
• Poland | Lodz: University of Lodz
• Portugal | Covilhã: University of Beira Interior
• Romania | Cluj: Sapientia University/Cluj-Napoca
• Serbia | Belgrade: University of Arts in Belgrade
• Spain | Bilbao: University of the Basque Country/Bilbao
• Sweden | Växjö: Linnaeus University
• Switzerland | Lausanne: Université de Lausanne
• Turkey | Istanbul: Kadir Has University
• United Kingdom | Liverpool: John Moores University

Based on the European Film Awards Feature and Documentary Film Selections 2023, five films were nominated for the 8th European University Film Award.

• Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet. France.

• Green Border (Zielona Granica) by Agnieszka Holland. Poland, France, Czech Republic, Belgium.

• Housekeeping for Beginners (Domakinstvo Za Pocetnici) by Goran Stolevski. North Macedonia, Sweden, Kosovo, Poland et al.

• How To Have Sex by Molly Manning Walker. United Kingdom, Greece.

• The Teachers‘ Lounge (Das Lehrerzimmer) by Ilker Çatak. Germany

From then on between October and early December the five nominated films were viewed and discussed by students in film and media studies classes at the participating 24 European universities. Each film was analyzed, evaluated and passionately discussed over the course of two months and in the end each institution voted by a point system for their top three films. These results were sent in for the final vote.

One student representative for each of 24 universities attended a two-day deliberation meeting in Hamburg that took place 5/6 December.

The First Day was characterized by discussing and reflecting all five films, finding arguments and describing the qualities of each film. Half-way through the results from the "national votes" – the Top 3 films (Anatomy of a Fall, Green Border and The Teachers Longe) were announced and continued the journey with the students.

On the Second Day the students were developing criteria for the award. The discussion turned out to be very profound and enhancing reflecting aspects of all facets of the award: How do the films correspond to EUROPEAN, to UNIVERSITY and to FILM. The discourse was extremely rewarding for everybody. In a secret election the students to decided on the film Anatomy of a Fall by Justine Triet to be the winner of the 8th European University Film Award.

The jury statement:

"In a subversive deconstruction of courtroom dramas, Triet puts truth itself on trial as much as her protagonist Sandra. Artifice and what can be perceived as true are pressing, contemporary issues affecting everybody, especially the impressionable youth of today with the dangers of social media. Everything can be taken out of context, even from private conversations and the intimacy of a relationship. In the digital age of so many conflicting ‘truths’, Triet masterfully shows how everybody can be rendered blind.”

The winner was announced during the ceremony of the European Film Awards 2023 in Berlin/Germany. The award was presented by a student delegation to actress Sandra Hüller of Anatomy of a Fall.

Petar Lakic (delegate student University of Arts Belgrade), Hortense Hervieux (delegate student University of Udine), Sandra Hüller, Matthijs Wouter Knol (Director European Film Academy), Agnieszka Holland (President European Film Academy), Albert Wiederspiel (Director Filmfest Hamburg) and Mike Downey (Chair European Film Academy)

Thanks to our wonderful students for their passion for European Cinema !!!

The 8th EUFA Edition 2023 is made possible with the support of the Hamburg Foundation for the Advancement of Research and Culture, the Claussen-Simon Foundation and the Alfred Toepfer Foundation F.V.S..