The films by Robert Guédiguian and Xavier Legrand have been selected to represent France in the short list of contenders for the 2018 European Film Awards (EFA), with the awards ceremony to be held in Seville on December 15.
The titles of the 49 films in the short list for the 2018 European Film Awards (EFA) (Feature Film Section) were announced on August 21. With 35 European countries represented, this year's pre-selection once again illustrates the great diversity of European cinema. France is represented by The House by the Sea by Robert Guédiguian and Custody by Xavier Legrand, but also, as a minority production partner, by 17 other films: 3 Days in Quiberon, Ága, Cold War, Diamantino, Dogman, Donbass, Foxtrot, Happy as Lazzaro, Petra, Voices, The Captain, The House that Jack Built, Leto (The Summer), The Wild Pear Tree, Touch Me Not, Transit, and A Woman at War.
These 49 films were chosen in two stages: first, in the 20 countries with the largest number of members of the EFA, members chose one film to directly enter the list, after which a selection committee composed of the EFA's board of directors and invited specialists (including Christophe Leparc from the Cannes Directors' Fortnight) chose the remaining 29 films.
In coming weeks, the 3,500 members of the European Film Academy will vote to select the final nominees in the categories of Best European Film, Best Direction, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenwriter. The nominations will be announced on November 10 at the Seville European Film Festival in Spain. A jury of eight members will decide on the winners in the other award categories (Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup, Music, Sound, and, for the first time this year, Visual Effects).
The awards ceremony will take place on December 15 in Seville.
Readers may recall that the three most recent French films to have won the Best European Film Award are Hidden by Michael Haneke (2005), The Ghost Writer by Roman Polanski (2010), and Love by Michael Haneke (2012).
The list of the 49 short-listed titles can be viewed here.
