European Film Award / Best Film

Winner and nominee of the European Film Award in the category Best Film (European Film) since it was first awarded in 1988.

The feature film productions by Italian directors (seven wins), followed by their colleagues from Germany (4 wins) and Great Britain, Denmark and Austria (3 wins each) and Spain (2 each), were awarded the main prize most frequently. The most successful with three wins each are the Italian Gianni Amelio , the Austrian Michael Haneke and the Dane Lars von Trier . The feature film Toni Erdmann by the German Maren Ade was awarded in 2016 as the only work by a female director to date .

Winning German-language films alongside Toni Erdmann were Good Bye, Lenin! (2003), Gegen die Wand (2004), the later Oscar- winning drama The Lives of Others (2006) and The White Ribbon - A German Children's Story (2009).

Statistics (without audience award)	Movie	number	year
Most frequent awards *	The ghostwriter	6th	2010
Most frequent nominations	The Guardian angel	8th	1990
	Caché	8th	2005
	Melancholia	8th	2011
Most frequent nominations without a win	The man without a past	6th	2002
	Brothers - Between brothers	6th	2005

* - Volver holds the record of most won awards, without triumphing in the category Best European Film - Return of Pedro Almodóvar who was victorious four times in 2006

The films listed below are given with their German distribution title (if they can be determined), followed by the original title and the name of the director in brackets in italics. The original title is not mentioned if the German and the original title are identical. The winners are highlighted first.

1980s

1988

A short film about killing ( Krótki film o zabijaniu ) - directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski

• Goodbye, children ( Au revoir les enfants ) - Director: Louis Malle
• El bosque animado - Director: José Luis Cuerda
• Distant voices - Still Life ( Distant Voices, Still Lives ) - Director: Terence Davies
• The sky over Berlin - Director: Wim Wenders
• Jacob ( Iacob ) - Director: Mircea Daneliuc
• Pelle, the conqueror ( Pelle conquer ) - Director: Bille August

1989

Landscape in the Fog ( Topio stin omichli ) - Director: Theo Angelopoulos

• Memories of the Yellow House ( Recordações da Casa Amarela ) - Director: João César Monteiro
• High expectations ( High Hopes ) - Director: Mike Leigh
• Kleine Vera ( Malenkaja Vera ) - Director: Wassili Pitschul
• Magnus ( Magnús ) - Director: Thráinn Bertelsson
• Eldorado - Director: Géza Bereményi

1990s

1990

Open doors (Porte aperte) - Director: Gianni Amelio

• Ay Carmela! - Song of Freedom (¡Ay, Carmela!) - Director: Carlos Saura
• Cyrano von Bergerac (Cyrano de Bergerac) - Director: Jean-Paul Rappeneau
• The girl from the match factory (Tulitikkutehtaan tyttö) - Director: Aki Kaurismäki
• Mat - Directed by Gleb Panfilow
• The Guardian Angel (Skyddsängeln) - Director: Suzanne Osten
• Interrogation of a Woman (Przesluchanie) - Director: Ryszard Bugajski

1991

Riff-Raff - Director: Ken Loach

• Homo Faber - Director: Volker Schlöndorff
• The Little Gangster ( Le petit criminel ) - Director: Jacques Doillon

1992

Stolen Children ( Il Ladro di Bambini ) - Director: Gianni Amelio

• The life of the bohème ( La Vie de bohème ) - Director: Aki Kaurismäki
• The Lovers of Pont-Neuf ( Les Amants du Pont-Neuf ) - Director: Léos Carax

1993

Urga ( Урга - территория любви ) - Director: Nikita Michalkow

• Benny's Video - Directed by Michael Haneke
• Ein Herz im Winter ( Un cœur en hiver ) - Director: Claude Sautet

1994

Lamerica - Director: Gianni Amelio

• Three-color trilogy ( Trois Couleurs: Bleu; Blanc; Rouge ) - Director: Krzysztof Kieslowski
• In the Name of the Father ( In the Name of the Father ) - Director: Jim Sheridan

1995

Land and Freedom - Director: Ken Loach

• The look of Odysseus ( To Vlemma tou Odyssea ) - Director: Theo Angelopoulos
• Rendezvous in Paris ( Les Rendez-vous de Paris ) - Director: Éric Rohmer

1996

Breaking the Waves - Director: Lars von Trier

• Kolya ( Kolja ) - Director: Jan Svěrák
• Lies and Secrets ( Secrets & Lies ) - Director: Mike Leigh

1997

All Or Not ( The Full Monty ) - Director: Peter Cattaneo

• Der Thief ( Vor ) - Director: Pawel Tschuchrai
• The English Patient ( The English Patient ) - Director: Anthony Minghella
• The Fifth Element ( The Fifth Element ) - Director: Luc Besson
• Captain Conan and the Wolves of War ( Capitaine Conan ) - Director: Bertrand Tavernier
• The Perfect Circle ( Savrseni Krug ) - Director: Ademir Kenovic

1998

Life is beautiful ( La Vita è bella ) - Director: Roberto Benigni

• Butcher Boy - The Butcher Boy ( The Butcher Boy ) - Director: Neil Jordan
• Das Fest ( Festen ) - Director: Thomas Vinterberg
• Love life ( La Vie rêvée des Anges ) - Director: Erick Zonca
• Live Flesh - With skin and hair ( Carne trémula ) - Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• Run Lola Run - Director: Tom Tykwer
• My name is Joe ( My Name Is Joe ) - Director: Ken Loach

1999

All about my mother ( Todo sobre mi madre ) - Directed by Pedro Almodóvar

• Mifune - Dogma III ( Mifune Sidste Sang ) - Director: Søren Kragh-Jacobsen
• Moloch ( Molokh ) - Director: Alexander Sokurow
• Notting Hill - Director: Roger Michell
• Raus aus Åmål ( Fucking Åmål ) - Director: Lukas Moodysson
• Rosetta - Directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
• A touch of sunshine ( Sunshine ) - Director: István Szabó
• The War Zone - Director: Tim Roth

2000s

2000

Dancer in the Dark - Director: Lars von Trier

• Billy Elliot - I Will Dance ( Billy Elliot ) - Director: Stephen Daldry
• Bread and Tulips ( Pane e tulipani ) - Director: Silvio Soldini
• Chicken Run - Hennen rennen ( Chicken Run ) - Director: Peter Lord and Nick Park
• Harry means well with you ( Harry, un ami qui vous veut du bien ) - Director: Dominik Moll
• Desire for other things ( Le Goût des autres ) - Director: Agnès Jaoui
• The Faithless ( Trolösa ) - Director: Liv Ullmann

2001

The Fabulous World of Amélie ( Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amelie Poulain) - Director: Jean-Pierre Jeunet

• Bridget Jones - Chocolate for Breakfast ( Bridget Jones's Diary ) - Director: Sharon Maguire
• The experiment - directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel
• Intimacy - Director: Patrice Chéreau
• Italian for Beginners ( Italiensk For Begyndere ) - Director: Lone Scherfig
• The piano player ( La Pianiste ) - Director: Michael Haneke
• The Others - Directed by Alejandro Amenábar
• My Son's Room ( La Stanza del Figlio ) - Director: Nanni Moretti

2002

Talk to her ( Hable con ella ) - Director: Pedro Almodóvar

• 8 Women ( 8 Femmes ) - Director: François Ozon
• Bloody Sunday - Director: Paul Greengrass
• Kick it like Beckham ( Bend It Like Beckham ) - Director: Gurinder Chadha
• Lilja 4-ever - Director: Lukas Moodysson
• The Man Without a Past ( Mies Vailla Menneisyyttä ) - Director: Aki Kaurismäki
• The Pianist ( The Pianist ) - Director: Roman Polański
• The Merciless Sisters ( The Magdalene Sisters ) - Director: Peter Mullan

2003

Good bye Lenin! - Director: Wolfgang Becker

• Dogville - Director: Lars von Trier
• In This World ( In This World ) - Director: Michael Winterbottom
• Little Dirty Tricks ( Dirty Pretty Things ) - Director: Stephen Frears
• My life without me ( Mi vida sin mí ) - Director: Isabel Coixet
• Swimming Pool - Director: François Ozon

2004

Against the Wall - Director: Fatih Akin

• A Hole in My Heart ( Ett Hål I Mitt Hjärta ) - Director: Lukas Moodysson
• The children of Monsieur Mathieu ( Les Choristes ) - directed by Christophe Barratier
• La mala educación - Bad education ( La mala educación ) - Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• The sea in me ( Mar adentro ) - Director: Alejandro Amenábar
• Vera Drake - Director: Mike Leigh

2005

Caché - Director: Michael Haneke

• Brothers - Between Brødre ( Brødre ) - Director: Susanne Bier
• Don't Come Knocking - Director: Wim Wenders
• The Child ( L'Enfant ) - directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
• My Summer of Love - Director: Paweł Pawlikowski
• Sophie Scholl - The Last Days - Director: Marc Rothemund

2006

The Lives of Others - Director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck

• Breakfast on Pluto - Director: Neil Jordan
• Esma's Secret - Grbavica ( Grbavica ) - Director: Jasmila Žbanić
• The Road to Guantanamo - Director: Michael Winterbottom and Mat Whitecross
• Volver - Returning ( Volver ) - Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• The Wind That Shakes the Barley - Director: Ken Loach

2007

4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days (4 luni, 3 săptămâni şi 2 zile) - Director: Cristian Mungiu

• On the other hand - Director: Fatih Akin
• The Last King of Scotland - In the clutches of power (The Last King of Scotland) - Director: Kevin Macdonald
• La vie en rose (La Môme) - Director: Olivier Dahan
• Persepolis - Directors: Vincent Paronnaud and Marjane Satrapi
• The Queen (The Queen) - Director: Stephen Frears

2008

Gomorrah - Journey into the Realm of Camorra ( Gomorrah ) - Director: Matteo Garrone

• Il Divo - Director: Paolo Sorrentino
• The class ( Entre les murs ) - Director: Laurent Cantet
• Happy-Go-Lucky - Director: Mike Leigh
• The Orphanage ( El Orfanato ) - Director: Juan Antonio Bayona
• Waltz with Bashir ( ואלס עם באשיר ) - Director: Ari Folman

2009

The White Ribbon - A German Children's Story - Director: Michael Haneke

• Fish Tank - Director: Andrea Arnold
• Ein Prophet ( Un prophète ) - Director: Jacques Audiard
• Slumdog Millionaire ( Slumdog Millionaire ) - Director: Danny Boyle
• So dark the night ( Låt den rätte komma in ) - Director: Tomas Alfredson
• The Reader ( The Reader ) - Director: Stephen Daldry

2010s

2010

Der Ghostwriter ( The Ghost Writer ) - Director: Roman Polański

• Bal - Honig ( Bal ) - Director: Semih Kaplanoğlu
• In their eyes ( El secreto de sus ojos ) - Director: Juan José Campanella
• Lebanon ( לבנון ) - Director: Samuel Maoz
• Soul Kitchen - Director: Fatih Akin
• Of people and gods ( Des hommes et des dieux ) - Director: Xavier Beauvois

2011

Melancholia - Director: Lars von Trier

• The Artist - Director: Michel Hazanavicius
• Le Havre - Director: Aki Kaurismäki
• In a Better World (Hævnen) - Director: Susanne Bier
• The boy with a bicycle ( Le Gamin au vélo ) - directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
• The King's Speech - Director: Tom Hooper

2012

Love ( Amour ) - Director: Michael Haneke

• Barbara - Director: Christian Petzold
• Caesar must die ( Cesare deve morire ) - Director: Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
• The Hunt ( Jagten ) - Director: Thomas Vinterberg
• Shame - Director: Steve McQueen
• Pretty Best Friends ( Intouchables ) - Directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano

2013

La Grande Bellezza - The great beauty ( La grande bellezza ) - Director: Paolo Sorrentino

• The Best Offer - The highest bid ( La migliore offerta ) - Director: Giuseppe Tornatore
• Blancanieves - A fairy tale of black and white ( Blancanieves ) - Director: Pablo Berger
• Blue is a warm color ( La vie d'Adèle - Chapitre 1 & 2 ) - directed by Abdellatif Kechiche
• The Broken Circle ( The Broken Circle Breakdown ) - Director: Felix Van Groeningen
• Oh Boy - Director: Jan-Ole Gerster

2014

Ida - directed by Paweł Pawlikowski

• Force Majeure ( Turist ) - Director: Ruben Östlund
• Leviathan (Левиафан) - Director: Andrei Svjaginzew
• Nymphomaniac - Director's Cut - Volume I & II - Director: Lars von Trier
• Winter Sleep ( Kış Uykusu ) - Director: Nuri Bilge Ceylan

2015

Eternal Youth (Youth) - Director: Paolo Sorrentino

• The Lobster - Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
• Mustang - Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
• A pigeon sits on a branch and thinks about life (En duva satt på en gren och funderade på tillvaron) - Director: Roy Andersson
• Sture Bucks (Hrútar) - Director: Grímur Hákonarson
• Victoria - Director: Sebastian Schipper

2016

Toni Erdmann - Director: Maren Ade

• Elle - Director: Paul Verhoeven
• Ich, Daniel Blake (I, Daniel Blake) - Director: Ken Loach
• Julieta - Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• Room (Room) - Director: Lenny Abrahamson

2017

The Square - Director: Ruben Östlund

• 120 BPM (120 battements par minute) - Director: Robin Campillo
• The Other Side of Hope (Toivon tuolla puolen) - Director: Aki Kaurismäki
• Body and Soul (Testről és lélekről) - Director: Ildikó Enyedi
• Loveless (Нелюбовь) - Director: Andrei Svjaginzew

2018

Cold War - The latitude of love (Zimna Wojna) - directed by Paweł Pawlikowski

• Border (Gräns) - Director: Ali Abbasi
• Dogman - Director: Matteo Garrone
• Girl - Director: Lukas Dhont
• Happy as Lazzaro (Lazzaro felice) - Director: Alice Rohrwacher

2019

The Favorite - Intrigue and Madness (The Favorite) - Director: Yorgos Lanthimos

• Intrige (J'accuse) - Director: Roman Polański
• Sorrow and Glory (Dolor y Gloria) - Director: Pedro Almodóvar
• Systemsprenger - Director: Nora Fingscheidt
• The Traitor (Il traditore) - Director: Marco Bellocchio
• The Furious - Les Misérables (Les Misérables) - Director: Ladj Ly