European Film Academy to Include Documentaries and Animated Features in Running for Top Prize
variety.comEllise Shafer The European Film Academy has announced that documentaries and animated features will now be considered for the European Film prize at its annual awards.
The category had previously only included fiction films. “The aim of this change is to better reflect the fact that documentaries and animated feature films are an essential part of European cinema culture, adding much to its great diversity,” a press release states. “Both documentary and animated films come in a plethora of genres, storytelling traditions and narrative forms, for any audience.” The change is effective starting this year.
The 37th European Film Awards are set to take place on Dec. 7 in Lucerne, Switzerland. “Simply said, the best film of Europe can from now onwards also be a feature-length documentary film or animated feature film, and not only a fiction film,” European Film Academy CEO Matthijs Wouter Knol said in a statement. “The decision of the Board of the European Film Academy reflects a long wish from members to a fairer and more equal chance for all feature-length films to compete for this recognition.
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