“The White Ribbon, Austrian auteur Michael Haneke’s austere black-and-white examination of malice in a pre-World War I German village dominated the 22nd European Film Awards held in Bochum, Germany on Saturday, winning the awards for best European film, best director and best screenwriter.
“The White Ribbon also won the coveted Palme d Or at this year s Cannes film festival. The film, a study of the roots of Nazism, centers a sinister series of mysterious crimes that rock a village in Northern Germany, which appears to be linked to a group of children brutalized and scarred by their parents.
Titanic star Winslet, 34, won the best actress award for her role as former concentration camp guard Hanna Schmitz in The Reader, a part for which she also picked up the best actress Oscar in February.
The other big winner of the evening was Jacques Audiard’s crime drama “A Prophet, winning the best actor award for French newcomer Tahar Rahim and the Prix d Excellence award for its innovative sound design.
French Actress Isabelle Huppert and English director Ken Loach received lifetime achievement awards from Oscar-winning director Volker Schlondorff and soccer champ-turned-actor Eric Cantona, respectively.
Slumdog Millionaire, which swept the board at this year s Oscars, didn’t go home empty handed, winning the People s Choice Award for Best European Film.
UK-born Peter Strickland’s largely self-financed film “Katalin Varga, set in Hungarian-speaking Romania, was named European Discovery of the Year.
List of winners:
European Film: “The White Ribbon, directed by Michael Haneke, produced by Stefan Arndt, Veit Heiduschka, Michael Katz, Margaret Menegoz & Andrea Occhipinti
European Director: Michael Haneke for “The White Ribbon
European Actor: Tahar Rahim for “A Prophet
European Actress: Kate Winslet for “The Reader
European Screenwriter: Michael Haneke for “The White Ribbon
Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award: Anthony Dod Mantle for “Antichrist and “Slumdog Millionaire
European Film Academy Prix d Excellence: Brigitte Taillandier, Francis Wargnier, Jean-Paul Hurier & Marc Doisne for the sound design, “A Prophet.
European Compose: Alberto Iglesias for “Broken Embraces
Discovery Award: “Katalin Varga, directed by Peter Strickland, produced by Tudor Giurgiu, Oana Giurgiu and Peter Strickland
European Film Academy Animated Feature Film: “Mia et le Migou, directed by Jacques-Rémy Girerd, co-directed by Nora Twomey
European Film Academy Short Film: “Poste Restante by Marcel Lozinski
European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award: Ken Loach
European Contribution World’s Cinema: Isabelle Huppert
European Film Academy Documentary – Prix Arte: “The Sound of Insects – Record of a Mummy, directed by Peter Liechti
European Co-Production Award – Prix Eurimages: Diana Elbaum and Jani Thiltges
European Film Academy Critics Awards -Prix FIPRESCI: Andrzej Wajda for “Sweet Rush
People’s Choice Award for Best European Film: “Slumdog Millionaire, directed by Danny Boyle. -Agencies
