The European Film Awards (EFAs) is set to move from its traditional December slot to mid-January from 2026 in a bid to boost the visibility of its nominees during awards season.
The European Film Academy, which organises the annual event, said the date change would come after the 37th edition in December 2024 and was “a next step in the repositioning” of the EFAs in the international awards corridor, creating “a larger window for nominated films to be promoted”. The nominations will continue to be announced by mid-November.
The awards have been held in December since its first edition in 1988, except for five instances during its first decade when the ceremony was held in November.
With its new date, the EFAs move closer to the Golden Globes, Baftas and the Oscars, which respectively took place in January, February and March this year.
The EFAs ceremony will take place the weekend after the Golden Globes, and prior to the closing of the nomination voting for the Oscars. The European Film Academy said that films vying for the EFAs will be able to enhance promotion and marketing in Europe and beyond its borders for the international awards season, increasing their visibility in the same period of the year.
It also stated the decision to shift dates was taken after major consideration and conversations with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and Bafta, as well as the management of festivals such as Sundance, Göteborg, Rotterdam, and the Berlinale, which will all take place shortly after the future EFAs weekend.
European Film Academy chairman Mike Downey said: “The decision of the board to re-position the European Film Awards after almost four decades in December marks a fundamentally positive change as the event finally lands where it should be: front and centre in the heart of the awards season, where it can create maximum impact for European candidates, as well as enhance the Academy’s role as a significant player in the global awards game.”
He added that the move would place European cinema “in pole position during what is always a highly competitive awards period”.
“It’s time for the European Film Awards to take a step up,” said Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and director of the European Film Academy.
“The date change automatically means a prolongation of our new initiative Month of European Film, the season at the end of the calendar year during which the Academy celebrates European cinema in 45 countries simultaneously.”
This initiative was launched last year with the aim of strengthening and protecting the future of European film.
“In the next years, we will develop this programme into a proper award season for films from Europe,” added Knol. “After the season has been established on our continent first, we are keen to explore strategic collaborations and reach audiences in other parts of the world as of 2026.”
Ruben Ostlund’s Triangle Of Sadness swept last year’s EFAs and was nominated for three Oscars, including best picture.
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