The European Film Academy (EFA) and Filmfest Hamburg congratulate PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE by Céline Sciamma, winner of the European University Film Award 2019.
The award will be presented on Friday, 6 December, at the welcome reception in the framework of the European Film Awards Weekend in Berlin.
The nominated films were viewed and discussed in 24 universities in 24 countries and each institution selected its favourite film. One student representative from each university then attended a three-day deliberation meeting to decide on the overall winner: Jonah Simanjuntak (University of Antwerp, Belgium), Sara Rauschning (Filmuniversity Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, Germany), Valtteri Kauraoja (University of Turku, Finland), Florentin Groh (Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris 3, France), Panoraia Ioannou (University of the Aegean, Greece), Casey Hynes (University College Cork, Ireland), Sarah Jack (University of Udine, Italy), Nikulás Hlynsson (University of Iceland, Iceland), Romy Halkin (Steve Tisch School of Cinema and Television Studies, Israel), Līga Saliņa (Latvian Academy of Culture, Latvia), Viktorija Dridi (Vilnius University, Lithuania), Layli Jafari Behtash (University of Utrecht, The Netherlands), Selina Teichmann (University Vienna, Austria), Jakub Zawodniak (University of Lodz, Poland), Inês Alves Paredes (University of Beira Interior, Portugal), Rebeka Sarkadi (Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Romania), Anton Persson (Linnaeus University, Sweden), Zaineb Lassoued (University Lausanne, Switzerland), Savina Smederevac (University of Arts Belgrade, Serbia), Víctor Iturregui García de Motiloa (University of the Basque Country, Spain), Anna Skočdopolová (Charles University, the Czech Republic), Gülcin Caktug (Kadir Has University, Turkey), Kelsey Draper (Liverpool John Moores University, U.K), Anna Király (Catholic Péter-Pázmány University, Hungary).
To quote the jury: “In this film, frightening, careful and gentle storytelling creates a mythical atmosphere in which female characters depend on each other and find solace in each other’s company. Central composition, a renaissance colour palette and stylised mise-en-scène all contribute to presenting every frame as a canvas painting. Furthermore, the movie’s relationship with European art and history shines a light on the local values and way of life. By breaking the hierarchy between the artist and the muse, Sciamma turns the artistic process into a moving queer love story.”
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 2019 is made possible with the support of the Joachim Herz Stiftung and the Hamburg Ministry for Science, Research and Equalities Hamburg and in close collaboration with NECS–European Network for Cinema and Media Studies.
The European Film Awards Ceremony with the presentation of the winners will take place on Saturday, 7 December, streamed live at www.europeanfilmawards.eu from 17.00 (red carpet) and 19.00 (ceremony).
Hamburg and Berlin, 6 December 2019
