Eligibility
5.1
Eligible are European feature-length documentary films intended for theatrical release which meet the general eligibility criteria (see 3).
Documentary films taken into consideration must have a minimum length of 70 minutes. The Academy Board has the right to refrain from this rule in exceptional cases.
5.2
Eligible feature-length documentary films must fulfil at least one of the following criteria:
- Having been selected at least at one major festival (see list of festivals – documentary films)
- Having been theatrically released in at least three countries or sold for such release
5.3
Submitted European documentary films are also taken into consideration for the category EUROPEAN YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARD provided they meet the respective eligibility criteria of the category (see 12).
Academy Shortlist
5.4
A committee of Academy members and documentary experts appointed by the Academy board chooses up to 15 documentary films for the EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS DOCUMENTARY FILM SELECTION as part of the Academy Shortlist proposed to the Academy members to be considered for a nomination for EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY.
5.5
The shortlisted documentary films are announced internally to the members of the Academy in stages and will gradually be made available for viewing from June onwards, with the complete Academy Shortlist – including the FICTION FILM SELECTION as well as the ANIMATION FILM SELECTION – to be announced to the public in October.
Nominations and election of winners
5.6
There are five nominations in the category EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY. Based on the DOCUMENTARY FILM SELECTION, three to four of the nominations are voted for by the Academy members. The Academy board can add up to two nominations in this category. The board’s nominations need to be agreed on by the majority of the board members present at the nomination meeting.
5.7
Documentaries nominated for the category EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY also run for the category EUROPEAN FILM (see 4).
5.8
Based on the DOCUMENTARY FILM SELECTION, films can be considered by the Academy members of the respective chapter for a nomination in the following ARTS & CRAFTS CATEGORIES (see 7): EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER, EUROPEAN COMPOSER (ORIGINAL SCORE), EUROPEAN EDITOR and EUROPEAN SOUND.
5.9
The award EUROPEAN DOCUMENTARY is presented to the European director(s) (see 3) of a feature-length documentary. The award EUROPEAN FILM is presented to the European director(s) and the European main producer (see 3) of a fiction, documentary or animation film.
