Award Central News 2003
Posted: Sun., Dec. 8, 2002, 4:33pm PT
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'Talk' tops at Euro Film nods
Good year for Spain as Almodovar, Camara win
By DEBORAH YOUNG
ROME -- Pedro Almodovar's "Talk to Her" swept the 15th European Film Awards
Saturday in a glittering ceremony held at Rome's Teatro dell'Opera.
The beaming Spanish director was called on stage four times to pick up a Felix Award for best film,
director and screenwriter and as People's Choice director of the year. Co-star Javier Camara took
the People's Choice actor nod.
With Victoria Abril winning the Achievement in World Cinema award, it was truly Spain's year at the
EFAs, the annual pan-European prizes presented by the Berlin-based European Film Academy.
Among the Italians, who hosted the awards for the first time, Sergio Castellito scored the actor prize
and screenwriter Tonino Guerra drew the lifetime achievement award.
As for France, the entire cast of Francois Ozon's "8 Women" was awarded the actress nod, but none
of the thesps showed up in Rome to pick up the award.
Roberto Benigni offered an ironic comment in a video sent from "the North Pole," in which he
suggested the inauguration of a new prize to be called the "I Can't Be There" Award.
Unlike the Oscars, the Felixes are shackled with a long list of nominees per category, due to the
need to deal with so many different film-producing countries. Result is that winners have to be
forewarned to get them to show up, and nonwinners rarely choose to be present. Two brave
exceptions were directors Mike Leigh and Roman Polanski, whose "All or Nothing" and "The Pianist"
were passed over, apart from a cinematography prize to Polanski's d.p. Pawel Edelman. Aki
Kaurismaki's multinominated Finnish film "The Man Without a Past" also went away empty-handed.
The awards were presented by Italian actress Asia Argento and British director-comedian Mel Smith,
whose lack of chemistry did little to shorten the 2½-hour show. For the first time, French and German
broadcasters chose not to air the program. Broadcasters in 19 countries, including the U.S.'
Sundance Channel, picked up the show.
The other big weekend event was a well-attended EFA conference on film education in Europe.
Keynote speakers included Jeanne Moreau, Stephen Frears, Francesco Rosi and European Film
Academy prexy Wim Wenders. Confab was held in Rome's new Auditorium, still partly under
construction. The main hall, originally announced as the awards venue, was not ready in time,
forcing a last-minute switch to the smaller but more atmospheric opera house.
The European Film Awards for 2002, voted on by the 1,500-member European Film Academy.
And the winners are . . .
FILM
"Talk to Her" (Hable con ella), Spain
DIRECTOR
Pedro Almodovar, "Talk to Her"
ACTOR
Sergio Castellitto, "Mostly Martha" (Bella Martha) and "My Mother's Smile" (L'Ora di religione)
ACTRESS
Ensemble cast of "8 Women": Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Beart, Fanny
Ardant, Virginie Ledoyen, Danielle Darrieux, Ludivine Sagnier, Firmine Richard
SCREENWRITER
Pedro Almodovar, "Talk to Her"
CINEMATOGRAPHER
Pawel Edelman, "The Pianist"
ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA
Victoria Abril, actress, Spain
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Tonino Guerra, screenwriter, Italy
PEOPLE'S CHOICE DIRECTOR
Pedro Almodovar, "Talk to Her"
PEOPLE'S CHOICE ACTOR
Javier Camara, "Talk to Her"
PEOPLE'S CHOICE ACTRESS
Kate Winslet, "Iris"
NON-EUROPEAN FILM (SCREEN INTL. AWARD)
"Divine Intervention," Elia Suleiman, Palestine
EUROPEAN DISCOVERY -- PRIX FASSBINDER:
"Hukkle," Gyorgy Palfi, Hungary
DOCUMENTARY -- PRIX ARTE
"To Be and to Have" (Etre et avoir), Nicolas Philibert, France
SHORT FILM -- PRIX UIP
"10 Minutes" (10 Minuta), Ahmed Imamovic, Bosnia & Herzegovina
FIPRESCI CRITICS' AWARD
"Sweet Sixteen," Ken Loach, U.K.
Contact the Variety newsroom at [email protected]
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