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 mos ...

took place on 6 December 2008 in

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

Winners and nominees

Best European Actor

Toni Servillo – '' Gomorrah (Gomorra)'' and ''

Il Divo Il Divo (; ) are a multinational classical crossover vocal group. Formed in the United Kingdom in 2003, it is a male quartet that was created and then promoted by British media magnate Simon Cowell for Syco Music, a record label that he had ...

'' *

Michael Fassbender Michael Fassbender (; born 2 April 1977) is a German-Irish actor. His accolades include nominations for two Academy Awards, four British Academy Film Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, he was listed at number nine on ''The Irish Ti ...

– ''

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 t ...

'' *

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

and

Mads Mikkelsen Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...

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

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

– ''

Atonement Atonement, atoning, or making amends 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 othe ...

'' *

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

– '' The Wave (Die Welle)'' *

Elmar Wepper Elmar Wepper (16 April 1944 – 31 October 2023) was a German actor. Life and career Elmar Wepper was born in Augsburg and grew up in Munich. After his ''Abitur'', he studied German language and literature and theatre studies. His television cr ...

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

Best European Actress

Kristin Scott Thomas Dame Kristin Ann Scott Thomas (born 24 May 1960) is a British actress. A five-time BAFTA Award and Olivier Award nominee, she won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for ''Four Weddings and a Funeral'' (1994) and the Olivi ...

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

Hiam Abbass Hiam Abbass (; ; born 30 November 1960), also spelled Hiyam Abbas, is a Palestinian actress and film director with Israeli and French citizenship. She is known for her roles in films such as ''The Syrian Bride'' (2004), '' Paradise Now'' (2005) ...

– '' 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 of stage and screen. She began her career on stage and then moved into film, for which she has received several accolades including a Golden Globe Award, in addition to nominatio ...

– ''

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 – '' The Orphanage (El orfanato)'' * Ursula Werner – '' 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 Edinbu ...

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

Dario Marianelli Dario Marianelli (born 21 June 1963) is an Italian composer. Early life Marianelli was born in Pisa, Italy. He studied piano and composition in Florence and in 1990 he moved to London. After a year as a postgraduate composer at the Guildhall Sch ...

– ''

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

Best European Director

Matteo Garrone Matteo Garrone is an Italian filmmaker. Early life Matteo Garrone was born in Rome, Italy, the son of a theatre critic, Nico Garrone and a photographer, Donatella Rimoldi. Career In 1996 Garrone won the ''Sacher d'Oro'', an award sponsored b ...

– '' Gomorrah (Gomorra)'' *

Laurent Cantet Laurent Cantet (; 11 April 1961 – 25 April 2024) was a French director, cinematographer and screenwriter. His film ''Entre les murs'' ('' The Class'') won the top prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 2008. Biography Laurent Cantet was born in ...

– '' The Class (Entre les murs)'' *

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

– '' Cloud 9 (Wolke Neun)'' *

Ari Folman Ari Folman (; 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-action/animated film '' The ...

– '' 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 counterculture of the 1960s, 1960s counterculture, made him a top box office draw for his films of the late ...

– ''

'' *

Paolo Sorrentino Paolo Sorrentino (; ; born 31 May 1970) is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Italian cinema working today. He is known for visually striking and complex dramas and has of ...

– ''

Best European Film

Best European Screenwriter

Maurizio Braucci Maurizio is an Italian masculine given name, derived from the Roman name Mauritius. Mauritius is a derivative of Maurus, meaning ''dark-skinned, Moorish''. List of people with the given name Maurizio Art and music * Maurizio Arcieri (born 1945), ...

Ugo Chiti Ugo Chiti (born 13 February 1943) is an Italian screenwriter, playwright, stage and film director. Life and career Born in Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Chiti started his career in 1970 with Pier'Alli's Society for Theatre Research. He later founde ...

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, journalist, and screenwriter. In his writings, including articles and his book ''Gomorrah (book), Gomorrah'', he uses literature and investigative reporting to tell of the economic ...

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

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

– '' Lemon Tree'' *

– ''

Waltz with Bashir ''Waltz with Bashir'' (, translit. ''Vals Im Bashir'') is a 2008 adult animated war documentary film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories of his experience as a soldier during the 19 ...

'' *

– ''

References

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