The European Film Academy (EFA) and Filmfest Hamburg congratulate HAPPY AS LAZZARO by Alice Rohrwacher, winner of the European University Film Award 2018.
The award will be presented on Friday, 14 December, at the welcome reception in the framework of the European Film Awards Weekend in Seville.
The nominated films were viewed and discussed in 22 universities in 22 countries and each institution selected its favourite film. One student representative from each university then attended a two-day deliberation meeting to decide on the overall winner: Charlot Vanthournout (University of Antwerp / Belgium), Hana Pololáníková (Charles University, Prague / Czech Republic), Joachim Jelle (Aarhus University / Denmark), Lotta Laitila (University of Oulu Finland), Nina Pillet (Sorbonne Nouvelle Paris 3 / France), Franziska Weiler (Film University Babelsberg “Konrad Wolf” / Germany), Maria-Vaia Boufeti (University of the Aegean, Greece), Dorá Tibay (Catholic Péter-Pazmany University, Hungary), Kevin O’Shea (University College Cork / Ireland), Nemanja Milosevic (University Udine / Italy), Jort van Slooten (University Utrecht, Netherlands), Adam Teodorczyk (University of Lodz / Poland), Adél Páll (Sapientia University / Romania), Leire Muñoz Castelló (University of Basque Country / Spain), Johan Christensen (Linnaeus University / Sweden), Abel Zuchuat (University of Lausanne / Switzerland), Leia Gill (John Moores University Liverpool / Great Britain), Valerie Malcharczyk, (University Vienna/ Austria), Arína Vala Pórðardóttir (University Iceland/ Iceland), Sandra Meskauskaite (Vilnius University/Littauen), Ieva Augstkalna (Latvian Academy of Culture/Latvia), Ebru Güney (Kadir Has University/Turkey).
The jury praises HAPPY AS LAZZARO “as an unconventional contemporary take on Italian Neorealism, shot on 16mm, that overcomes geographical and stylistic boundaries. The movie conveys the harshness of the exploitation of people in the contemporary world and tackles topics such as class, poverty and ideology, through the eyes of the main character Lazzaro.”
The aim of this initiative by the European Film Academy (EFA) and Filmfest Hamburg is to involve a younger audience, to spread the “European idea” and to transport the spirit of European cinema to an audience of university students. It shall also support film dissemination, film education and the culture of debating.
The European University Film Award 2018 is supported by the Joachim Herz Foundation, the Bundeszentrale für politsche Bildung, Creative Europe Desk Hamburg and the NECS-European Network for Cinema and Media Studies.
The European Film Awards Ceremony with the presentation of the winners will take place on Saturday, 15 December, streamed live at www.europeanfilmawards.eu from 17.30 (red carpet) and 19.30 (ceremony).
Hamburg and Berlin, 10 December 2018
