‘La Bola Negra’, ‘Woman Unknown’, ‘NAZA’ & ‘Fjord’ Among 68 Films On Shortlist For 39th European Film Awards — SkimNews
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- The European Film Academy shortlisted 68 feature films for the 39th European Film Awards, with 45 in fiction, 15 in documentary, and 8 in animation.
- The fiction shortlist includes Cannes 2026 Palme d'Or winner Fjord (Cristian Mungiu), Venice Golden Lion winner Woman Unknown (May el-Toukhy), and awards-frontrunner La Bola Negra.
- The documentary shortlist features NAZA, directed by Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor, and French box-office breakout Whispers in the Woods (Vincent Munier).
- The 68 shortlisted films represent 40 European countries, and 25 are directed or co-directed by women.
- The January 16 ceremony date falls one day after Oscar nomination voting closes (January 15) and before the January 21 nominations announcement, allowing European teams to fly from Los Angeles to Athens and back.
- The 38th ceremony's top winner, Joachim Trier's Sentimental Value, swept six EFA categories before going on to win Best International Feature Film at the Oscars.
- EFA nominations will be announced November 14, 2026 at the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, decided by 5,700-plus academy members across roughly 50 countries.
Why it matters: The January scheduling positions the European Film Awards as a strategic waypoint between the close of Oscar nomination voting and the nominations announcement, giving European contenders a stage moment without losing their U.S. campaign momentum. With Cannes and Venice 2026 winners Fjord and Woman Unknown both on the fiction shortlist — and 40 countries represented — the EFA shortlist effectively functions as a snapshot of which European titles the industry thinks can travel furthest.
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