The EFA Excellence Jury

Meet the special eight-member jury that decided on this year’s winners in the categories European Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Make-up & Hair, Original Score, Sound, and Visual Effects.

 

Marta Billingsley, sound editor, Italy

 

Learning from her father Hugh Michael Billingsley, one of the first sound editors to change the concept of sound editing in Italy in the 60s, Marta has worked in sound for more than 20 years. She has collaborated with directors such as Nanni Moretti, Matteo Garrone, Marco Tullio Giordana, Alice Rohrwacher, Francesca Archibugi, Marco Bellocchio, Ciro Guerra and many others. In 2009 Marta opened her own company, Rec&Play, with three others partners.

 

 

John Gürtler, composer, Germany

 

John Gürtler is a film composer based in Berlin. He has written over 40 film scores and produces electronic music, songs and orchestral work and has won several awards, including ‘Best Song in a Film’ at the 2014 German Film Music Awards the ‘German Documentary Music Award’  and the ‘European Original Score 2019’ for SYSTEM CRASHER, presented by the European Film Academy. An adamant improviser, John uses the studio as a room for electro acoustic experimentation, straying away from standardised sounds whenever possible and finding an individual language for each project where the borders between score, sound and source music start to dissolve.

 

 

Rein Kotov, cinematographer, Estonia

 

Tallinn-based Rein Kotov graduated from All-Union State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK, Moscow) in 1991, by which time he had already started his professional career at Tallinnfilm. Since 1991, Rein has been the DOP for numerous features, short films and documentaries, among them TRUTH AND JUSTICE by Tanel Toom, LITTLE COMRADE by Moonika Siimets, TANGERINES by Zaza Urushadze (nominated for the Golden Globes and Estonia’s foreign-language entry for the Oscars 2015), THE SPY AND THE POET by Toomas Hussar, LETTERS TO ANGEL by Sulev Keedus, GOODBYE MOM by Svetlana Proskurina and 1944 by Elmo Nüganen.

 

Rein was nominated for European Cinematographer 2001 at the European Film Awards for THE HEART OF THE BEAR.

 

 

Catherine Marchand, costume designer, Belgium

 

After her studies at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts visuels and the Haute Couture cycle “Grenier de Paris” (1979-84), Catherine Marchand started working in costume design in 1985. She has great experience in short and full-length fiction and documentary films, among them ALMAYER’S FOLLY by Chantal Akerman, VIJAY AND I by Sam Garbarski (for which she won a Belgian Magritte Award) and MARINA by Stijn Coninx (for which she won another Magritte). Catherine has also worked on various commercials and regularly does pattern cuts for men and women. She has her own design studio in Brussels.

 

 

Jonathan Morris, editor, UK

 

Jonathan Morris first worked a child actor and sang with Judy Garland in her final film. Deciding against the uncertainties of life as an actor, he took a job in 1966 as a trainee second assistant film editor. In 1976, he was promoted to editor, editing many documentaries and dramas and working with many well-known directors. In 1982, Jonathan formed a post-production company in London and edited numerous award-winning films. Throughout his career, he has worked with Ken Loach, cutting many films for him; and has worked on 12 films selected in Cannes as well as three in Venice and Berlin. He has given editing seminars in Denmark, France and the USA, and has mentored students at the NFTS in Beaconsfield, UK. His latest films are I, DANIEL BLAKE (Palme d’Or) and SORRY WE MISSED YOU.

 

 

Anne Cathrine Sauerberg, make-up designer, Denmark

 

Born in Copenhagen, Anne Cathrine Sauerberg completed make-up school in 1986. She has been working in TV, film and theatre since 1984 and is a multiple winner of the Danish Robert award, notably so for BLACK HARVEST (1994), EN SOAP (2007) and MEN & CHICKEN (2016).

 

 

Andraž Sedmak, visual effects supervisor, Slovenia

 

With about 15 years of experience as a motion designer, compositor and Vfx supervisor, Andraž Sedmak has worked for TV-series, films, shows. Now he manages his own VFX company Fingertrix. His credits include commercials and several feature films such as Life in a Year, Planet Single and Brigitte Bardot cudowna.

 

 

Sylvia Steinbrecht-Aleix, production designer, Andorra

 

For more than 20 years, Sylvia Steinbrecht-Aleix has been working in each of the art department positions. Among the films she has been involved in are BIUTIFUL (2010) by Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu, SUNDAY’S ILLNESS (2018) by Ramon Salazar, ELISA & MARCELA (2019)- for which she won the Gaudi 2020 for best art direction and nominee as best film in the Berlinale 2019 and FOODIE LOVE (tv series 2019) directed by Isabel Coixet. Most recently, she has been involved in the production design of Oriol Paolo’s tv series EL INOCENTE.

 

Since its successful pan-European launch in November 2022 Europe’s own film and award season, the Month of European Film has been growing continuously: Starting with 35 partners from 35 countries in 2022, the Month of European Film collaborated in 2024 with 108 partners from 42 countries. The number of screenings of European films within the initiative rocketed from 1,553 in 2022 to 9,310 in 2023 to 16,140 screenings in the 2024 edition. Admissions increased from 61,199 in 2022 to 164,206 in 2023 to almost half a million admissions (467,697) in the last year. The participating partners reported that their activities during the Month of European Film increased audience interest in European films and it also makes them want to programme more European films in the future. This is the result of an evaluation with the participating partners of this unique initiative.

“The European Film Academy senses growing interest in Europe for an ‘award season’ celebrating the best European cinema has to offer,” says Mattthijs Wouter Knol, Academy CEO and Director. “With the Month of European Film we build a network and a window for the simultaneous celebration of European cinema and to bring the diversity of European film closer to home for many people: first of all to their local cinema. Only three years into the initiative we are proud and happy that the Month of European Film is becoming more and more visible across Europe and is attracting a significantly growing number of visitors from Norway to Malta, from Portugal to Georgia. In the upcoming years until the European Film Academy’s 40th anniversary in 2028, we will further build a European ‘award season’ with our partners. It is time to deepen the awareness of European film culture. It is time to bring us as Europeans closer together through the culture and values we share: cinema has that power.”

Feedback from the audience regarding the Month of European Film was also very positive: The partners reported that in an audience survey cinema visitors from across Europe saw the Month of European Film as an important celebration of European culture. They said the Month of European Film has raised their interest in European films significantly and that they would like to see more European films. It also made them feel more united with fellow Europeans.

This year, the Month of European Film will start with the nominations announcement on Tuesday 18 November 2025, with cinemas all over Europe offering a tailor-made programme for their local audience. The Month of European Film will have its grand finale on Saturday 17 January 2026 with the celebration of the European Film Awards in Berlin.

The Month of European Film is an initiative of the European Film Academy supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union, in co-operation with Europa Cinemas, CICAE, MUBI, DAFilms, Festival Scope, as well as numerous other European and local partners.

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