European Film Award for Best Film is one of the annual European Film Awards, presented by the European Film Academy to recognize the best in European filmmaking. It was first awarded in 1988 with Polish film A Short Film About Killing, directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, being the first recipient of the award.
Directors Gianni Amelio, Lars von Trier and Michael Haneke have received the most wins in this category with three wins each, while Pedro Almodóvar is the most nominated director with seven nominations, winning twice. Maren Ade was the first female director to win the award, receiving it for Toni Erdmann in 2016.
Winners and nominees 1980s Year English title Original title Director(s) Production Country1988(1st) A Short Film About Killing Krótki film o zabijaniu Krzysztof Kieślowski Poland Goodbye Children Au revoir les enfants Louis Malle France, West Germany The Animated Forest El bosque animado José Luis Cuerda Spain Distant Voices, Still Lives Terence Davies United Kingdom Wings of Desire Der Himmel über Berlin Wim Wenders West Germany, France Jacob Iacob Mircea Daneliuc Romania Pelle the Conqueror Pelle Erobreren / Pelle Erövraren Bille AugustDenmark, Sweden1989(2nd) Landscape in the Mist Topio stin omichli Theodoros Angelopoulos Greece, France, Italy The Midas Touch Eldorádó Géza Bereményi Hungary Magnus Þráinn Bertelsson Iceland Recollections of the Yellow House Recordações da Casa Amarela João César Monteiro PortugalHigh Hopes Mike Leigh United Kingdom Little Vera Маленькая Вера Vasili Pichul Soviet Union
1990s Year English title Original title Director(s) Production Country1990(3rd) Open Doors Porte aperte Gianni Amelio ItalyThe Match Factory Girl Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö Aki Kaurismäki FinlandCyrano de Bergerac Cyrano de Bergerac Jean-Paul Rappeneau FranceInterrogation Przesłuchanie Ryszard Bugajski Poland¡Ay, Carmela!Carlos Saura SpainThe Guardian Angel Skyddsängeln Suzanne Osten SwedenMother Мать Gleb Panfilov Soviet Union1991(4th) Riff-Raff Ken Loach United KingdomThe Voyager Homo Faber Volker Schlöndorff GermanyThe Little Gangster Le petit criminel Jacques Doillon France Toto the Hero Toto le héros Jaco Van Dormael Belgium Delicatessen Marc Caro, Jean-Pierre Jeunet France Ultra Ultrà Ricky Tognazzi Italy 1992(5th) The Stolen Children Il ladro di bambini Gianni Amelio Italy La Vie de Bohème Aki Kaurismäki France The Lovers on the Bridge Les Amants du Pont-Neuf Leos Carax France North Nord Xavier Beauvois Three Days Trys dienos Šarūnas Bartas Lithuania The Northerners De Noorderlingen Alex van Warmerdam Netherlands1993(6th) Close to Eden Урга — территория любви Nikita Mikhalkov Russia Benny's Video Michael Haneke Austria A Heart in Winter Un cœur en hiver Claude Sautet France Man Bites Dog C'est arrivé près de chez vous Rémy Belvaux, André Bonzel, Benoît Poelvoorde Belgium Orlando Sally Potter United Kingdom Antonio's Girlfriend La petite amie d'Antonio Manuel Poirier France1994(7th) Lamerica Gianni Amelio ItalyIn the Name of the Father Jim Sheridan Ireland, United Kingdom Three Colours: Blue, Three Colours: White, Three Colors: Red Trois couleurs: Bleu, Trois couleurs: Blanc, Trois couleurs: Rouge Krzysztof Kieślowski France, Poland, Switzerland Kosh ba kosh Кош ба кош Bakhtyar Khudojnazarov Tajikistan, Russia, Germany, Switzerland, Japan Son of the Shark Le Fils du requin Agnès Merlet France Woyzeck János Szász Hungary1995(8th) Land and Freedom Ken Loach United Kingdom Rendezvous in Paris Les Rendez-vous de Paris Éric Rohmer France Ulysses' Gaze Το βλέμμα του Οδυσσέα Theo Angelopoulos Greece Butterfly Kiss Michael Winterbottom United Kingdom Deathmaker Der Totmacher Romuald Karmakar Germany La Haine Mathieu Kassovitz France 1996(9th) Breaking the Waves Lars von Trier Denmark Kolya Kolja Jan Svěrák Czech Republic Secrets & Lies Mike Leigh United Kingdom Lea Ivan Fila Germany Some Mother's Son Terry George Ireland1997(10th) The Full Monty Peter Cattaneo United Kingdom Captain Conan Capitaine Conan Bertrand Tavernier France The Fifth Element Le Cinquième Élément Luc Besson The Perfect Circle Savršeni krug Ademir Kenović Bosnia and Herzegovina The English Patient Anthony Minghella United States, United Kingdom The Thief Вор Pavel Chukhrai Russia1998(11th) Life Is Beautiful La vita è bella Roberto Benigni Italy The Butcher Boy Neil Jordan Ireland Live Flesh Carne trémula Pedro Almodóvar Spain The Celebration Festen Thomas Vinterberg Denmark The Dreamlife of Angels La Vie rêvée des anges Erick Zonca France Run Lola Run Lola rennt Tom Tykwer Germany My Name Is Joe Ken Loach United Kingdom1999(12th) All About My Mother Todo sobre mi madre Pedro Almodóvar Spain Show Me Love Fucking Åmål Lukas Moodysson Sweden Mifune's Last Song Mifunes sidste sang Søren Kragh-Jacobsen Denmark Moloch Молох Alexander Sokurov Russia Notting Hill Roger Michell United Kingdom Rosetta Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Belgium Sunshine István Szabó Canada, Hungary, Austria, Germany The War Zone Tim Roth United Kingdom
2000s Year English title Original title Director(s) Production Country2000(13th) Dancer in the Dark Lars von Trier Denmark Billy Elliot Stephen Daldry United Kingdom Chicken Run Peter Lord, Nick Park Harry, He's Here to Help Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien Dominik Moll France The Taste of Others Le Goût des autres Agnès Jaoui France Bread and Tulips Pane e tulipani Silvio Soldini Italy Faithless Trolösa Liv Ullmann Sweden 2001(14th) Amélie Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain Jean-Pierre Jeunet France Bridget Jones's Diary Sharon Maguire United Kingdom The Experiment Das Experiment Oliver Hirschbiegel Germany Intimacy Patrice Chéreau France, Italy Italian for Beginners Italiensk for begyndere Lone Scherfig Denmark The Piano Teacher La Pianiste Michael Haneke France, Austria The Son's Room La stanza del figlio Nanni Moretti Italy, France The Others Los otros Alejandro Amenábar Spain2002(15th) Talk to Her Hable con ella Pedro Almodóvar Spain Bend It Like Beckham Gurinder Chadha United Kingdom Bloody Sunday Paul Greengrass 8 Women8 femmes François Ozon France Lilya 4-ever Lukas Moodysson Sweden The Man Without a Past Mies vailla menneisyyttä Aki Kaurismäki Finland, Germany, France The Magdalene Sisters Peter Mullan United Kingdom The Pianist Roman Polanski Poland, France, Germany, United Kingdom2003(16th) Good Bye, Lenin! Wolfgang Becker Germany Dirty Pretty Things Stephen Frears United Kingdom Dogville Lars von Trier Denmark, Netherlands, Sweden, France, United Kingdom, Germany In This World Michael Winterbottom United Kingdom My Life Without Me Mi vida sin mí Isabel Coixet Spain Swimming Pool François Ozon France, United Kingdom2004(17th) Head-On Gegen die Wand Fatih Akın Germany, Turkey A Hole in My Heart Ett hål i mitt hjärta Lukas Moodysson Sweden, Denmark Bad Education La mala educación Pedro Almodóvar Spain The Chorus Les choristes Christophe Barratier France, Switzerland The Sea Inside Mar adentro Alejandro Amenábar Spain, France, Italy Vera Drake Mike Leigh United Kingdom, France 2005(18th) Hidden Caché Michael Haneke France, Austria, Germany, Italy Brothers Brødre Susanne Bier Denmark, United Kingdom, Sweden, NorwayDon't Come Knocking Wim Wenders Germany The Child L'enfant Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne Belgium, FranceMy Summer of Love Pawel Pawlikowski United Kingdom Sophie Scholl – The Final Days Sophie Scholl – Die letzten Tage Marc Rothemund Germany2006(19th) The Lives of Others Das Leben der Anderen Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck Germany Breakfast on Pluto Neil Jordan Ireland, United Kingdom Grbavica: Esma's Secret Grbavica Jasmila Žbanić Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria, Germany, Croatia The Road to Guantanamo Michael Winterbottom, Mat Whitecross United Kingdom Volver Pedro Almodóvar Spain The Wind That Shakes the Barley Ken Loach Ireland, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain 2007(20th) 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days 4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile Cristian Mungiu Romania The Edge of Heaven Auf der anderen Seite Fatih Akin Germany, Turkey The Last King of Scotland Kevin Macdonald United Kingdom La Vie En Rose La Môme Olivier Dahan France, Czech Republic, United Kingdom Persepolis Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud France The Queen Stephen Frears United Kingdom, France, Italy 2008(21st) Gomorrah Gomorra Matteo Garrone Italy Il Divo Paolo Sorrentino Italy The Class Entre les murs Laurent Cantet France Happy-Go-Lucky Mike Leigh United Kingdom The Orphanage El orfanato Juan Antonio Bayona Spain Waltz with Bashir ואלס עם באשיר Ari Folman France, Germany2009(22nd) The White Ribbon Das weiße Band Michael Haneke Germany, Austria, France, Italy Fish Tank Andrea Arnold United Kingdom Let the Right One In Låt den rätte komma in Tomas Alfredson Sweden A Prophet Un prophète Jacques Audiard France The Reader Stephen Daldry United Kingdom, Germany Slumdog Millionaire Danny Boyle United Kingdom
2010s