European University Film Award

Starting off with 13 universities from 13 countries in first edition, the 9th edition saw 21 universities and 21 countries:

• Belgium | Antwerp: University of Antwerp
• Czech Republic | Prague: Charles 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
• 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.

• April by Dea Kulumbegashvil (GE, IT, FR 2024)

• Armand by Halfdan Ullmann Tøndel (NO, NL, SE, DE 2024)

• Kneecap by Rich Peppiatt (IE, GB 2024)

• Mond by Kurdwin Ayub (AT 2024)

• Three Kilometres to the End of the World by Emanuel Pârvu (RO 2024)

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 21 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 21 universities attended a two-day deliberation meeting in Hamburg that took place in early 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 (Armand, Kneecap and Three Kilometres to the End of the World 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 Three Kilometres to the End of the World by Emanuel Pârvu to be the winner of the 9th European University Film Award.

The jury statement:

“The film deconstructs the mechanisms of ostracism, a worldwide problem penetrating societal and institutional structures. With the effective use of resources, the director brilliantly utilised the Romanian landscape to portray the devastating impact of homophobia. Despite decades of activism and political action, queer communities continue to be marginalised by normative society. The film invites the broader European audiences to look beyond their urban horizons and to reflect on the neglected peripheries, where bigotry transcends legislations, and humanity transcends bigotry.”

The winner was announced during the ceremony of the European Film Awards 2024 in Lucerne/Switzerland. The award was presented by a student delegate to actor Ciprian Chiujdea of Three Kilometres to the End of the World.

Kathrin Kohlstedde (Head of Programme Filmfest Hamburg), Dimitri Hausammann (delegate student University of Lausanne), Ciprian Chiujdea, Matthijs Wouter Knol (Director European Film Academy) and Mike Downey (Chair European Film Academy)

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

The 9th European University Film Award is made possible with the support of the ZEIT STIFTUNG BUCERIUS, the Claussen-Simon Foundation, the Alfred Toepfer Foundation F.V.S. and Creative Europe Desk Hamburg.