The 21st Annual

European Film Awards The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most ...

took place on 6 December 2008 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark ...

Winners and nominees

Best European Actor

Toni Servillo Marco Antonio Servillo (), known as Toni Servillo, is an Italian actor and theatrical director. He has won the European Film Award for Best Actor twice, in 2008 for both '' Gomorrah'' and ''Il Divo'' and in 2013 for ''The Great Beauty'', as well ...

– '' Gomorrah (Gomorra)'' and ''

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multi-national classical crossover vocal group. The male quartet, which originated in the United Kingdom in December 2003, consists of tenors Urs Bühler, David Miller, and Sébastien Izambard. It also included baritone ...

'' *

Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender (born 2 April 1977) is an Irish actor. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Award ...

– ''

Hunger In politics, humanitarian aid, and the social sciences, hunger is defined as a condition in which a person does not have the physical or financial capability to eat sufficient food to meet basic nutritional needs for a sustained period. In the ...

'' *

Thure Lindhardt Thure Frank Lindhardt (; born 24 December 1974) is a Danish actor, educated at the drama school at Odense Theatre in 1998. Life and career Lindhardt was born in Copenhagen, and grew up in Roskilde. At the age of 12, he got a part in Bille Augu ...

and

Mads Mikkelsen Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen, (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. Originally a gymnast and dancer, he rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Det ...

– '' Flame & Citron (Flammen & Citronen)'' *

James McAvoy James McAvoy (; born 21 April 1979) is a Scottish actor. He made his acting debut as a teen in '' The Near Room'' (1995) and appeared mostly on television until 2003, when his feature film career began. His notable television work includes ...

– ''

Atonement Atonement (also atoning, to atone) is the concept of a person taking action to correct previous wrongdoing on their part, either through direct action to undo the consequences of that act, equivalent action to do good for others, or some other ex ...

'' *

Jürgen Vogel Jürgen Peter Vogel (; born 29 April 1968, in Hamburg) is a German actor, screenwriter, film producer and singer. One of the most successful character actors in German cinema, he first broke out in 1992 with his role in ''Little Sharks''.Jürgen ...

– '' The Wave (Die Welle)'' *

Elmar Wepper Elmar Wepper (born 16 April 1944 in Augsburg) is a German actor. His television credits include '' Der Kommissar'', ''Unsere schönsten Jahre'' and . His film credits include ''Cherry Blossoms'', '' Café Europa'', ''Lammbock'' and ''Dreiviertel ...

– '' Cherry Blossoms (Kirschblüten – Hanami)''

Best European Actress

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress who also holds French citizenship. A five-time British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA Award and Laurence Olivier Award, Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best ...

– '' I've Loved You So Long (Il y a longtemps que je t'aime)'' *

Hiam Abbass Hiam Abbass ( ar, هيام عباس, he, היאם עבאס; born 30 November 1960), also Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and film director. Personal life Hiam Abbass was born in Nazareth, Israel, to a Muslim Arab family. She was raised ...

– '' Lemon Tree'' *

Arta Dobroshi Arta Dobroshi (born 2 October 1980) is a Kosovo-Albanian actress and producer. Dobroshi is the first Kosovan actress to walk the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin International Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival and b ...

– '' The Silence of Lorna (Le silence de Lorna)'' *

Sally Hawkins Sally Cecilia Hawkins (born 27 April 1976) is an English actress who began her career on stage and then moved into film. She has received several awards including a Golden Globe Award and the Berlin International Film Festival's Silver Bear for ...

– ''

Happy-Go-Lucky Happy Go Lucky may refer to: Film and television * ''Happy Go Lucky'' (1936 film), an American film * ''Happy Go Lucky'' (1943 film), an American musical film starring Betty Hutton * ''Happy Go Lucky'' (1946 film), a French film * ''Happy Go L ...

'' *

Belen Rueda Belén is the Spanish name for Bethlehem. Belen, Belén or Beleń may also refer to: Places Argentina * Belén, Catamarca *Belén de Escobar, Buenos Aires Province Bolivia * Belén (Aroma), La Paz Department, Bolivia * Belén (Potosí), Bol ...

– '' The Orphanage (El orfanato)'' *

Ursula Werner Ursula Werner (; born 28 September 1943) is a German actress. Biography Born in Eberswalde, Werner grew up in the Prenzlauer Berg district of Berlin. After studying at the Staatliche Schauspielschule Berlin (Berlin State Drama College), she o ...

– '' Cloud 9 (Wolke Neun)''

Best European Composer

Max Richter Max Richter (; ; born 22 March 1966) is a German-born British composer and pianist. He works within postminimalist and contemporary classical styles. Richter is classically trained, having graduated in composition from the University of Edinbur ...

– '' Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir)'' * – '' Moscow, Belgium (Aanrijding in Moscou)'' *

Dario Marianelli Dario Marianelli (born 21 June 1963) is an Italian composer known for his frequent collaborations with director Joe Wright. Early life, education Marianelli was born in Pisa, Italy. He came from a musically inclined family and learned the piano ...

– ''

'' * Fernando Velázquez – '' The Orphanage (El orfanato)''

Best European Director

Matteo Garrone Matteo Garrone (born 15 October 1968) is an Italians, Italian filmmaker. Born in Rome, the son of a theatre critic, Nico Garrone and a photographer, in 1996 Garrone won the ''Sacher d'Oro'', an award sponsored by Nanni Moretti, with the short fi ...

– '' Gomorrah (Gomorra)'' *

Laurent Cantet Laurent Cantet (; born 11 April 1961) is a French director, cinematographer and screenwriter. His film ''Entre les murs'' (''The Class (2008 film), The Class'') won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. Biography Laurent Cantet was bo ...

– '' The Class (Entre les murs)'' *

Andreas Dresen Andreas Dresen (born 16 August 1963) is a German film director. His directing credits include '' Cloud 9'', '' Summer in Berlin'', ''Grill Point'' and ''Night Shapes''. His film '' Stopped on Track'' premiered at the Un Certain Regard section at ...

– '' Cloud 9 (Wolke Neun)'' *

Ari Folman Ari Folman ( he, ארי פולמן) (born December 17, 1962) is an Israeli film director, screenwriter, animator, and film-score composer. He directed the Oscar-nominated animated documentary film ''Waltz with Bashir'' (2008) and the live-a ...

– '' Waltz with Bashir (Vals im Bashir)'' *

Steve McQueen Terrence Stephen McQueen (March 24, 1930November 7, 1980) was an American actor. His antihero persona, emphasized during the height of the counterculture of the 1960s, made him a top box-office draw for his films of the late 1950s, 1960s, and 1 ...

– ''

'' *

Paolo Sorrentino Paolo Sorrentino (; born 31 May 1970) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. His 2013 film ''The Great Beauty'' won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, and the Bafta Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In Italy he was honoure ...

– ''

Best European Film

Best European Screenwriter

Maurizio Braucci, Ugo Chiti,

Gianni di Gregorio Gianni Di Gregorio (born 19 February 1949) is an Italian director, screenwriter and actor. Life and career Born in Rome, Di Gregorio trained as a stage actor and director in the Drama School of Alessandro Fersen. He started his professional ca ...

, Massimo Gaudioso and

Roberto Saviano Roberto Saviano (; born 22 September 1979) is an Italian writer, essayist, journalist, and screenwriter. In his writings, including articles and his book '' Gomorrah'', he uses literature and investigative reporting to tell of the economic reali ...

– '' Gomorrah (Gomorra)'' * Suha Arraf and

Eran Riklis Eran Riklis ( he, ערן ריקליס; born October 2, 1954) is an Israeli filmmaker. His films include ''Cup Final'' (1991), ''The Syrian Bride'' (2004), ''Lemon Tree'' (2008) and '' Dancing Arabs'' (also known as ''A Borrowed Identity'') (201 ...

– '' Lemon Tree'' *

– ''

Waltz with Bashir ''Waltz with Bashir'' ( he, ואלס עם באשיר, translit. ''Vals Im Bashir'') is a 2008 Israeli adult animated war documentary drama film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories of ...

'' *

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'' {{DEFAULTSORT:European Film Awards, 21 European Film Awards ceremonies 2008 film awards Culture in Copenhagen 2008 in Europe