The European Film Academy announced its shortlist for the 39th European Film Awards on October 14, naming 68 feature-length films from 40 countries as eligible for nomination. The list includes 45 fiction features, 15 documentaries, and 8 animated titles, with 25 directed or co-directed by women.
Cristian Mungiu's Fjord, which won the Palme d'Or at Cannes in May, is among the shortlisted fiction titles. The film stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve as a Romanian-Norwegian couple in conflict with Norwegian Child Protection Services. Mungiu's 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days won the Palme in 2007, making Fjord his second. Andrey Zvyagintsev's Minotaur, the Cannes Grand Prix winner, is also included.
The fiction shortlist reads as a survey of the year's major European auteurs. Lukas Dhont's Coward, Pawel Pawlikowski's Fatherland, Simon Stone's Elsinore, Pedro Almodovar's Bitter Christmas, Mike Leigh's Tender Loving Care, Florian Zeller's Bunker, and Werner Herzog's Bucking Fastard are all represented. The 5,700 members of the European Film Academy will view the shortlisted films before voting on the nominees.
Key category nominations will be announced on November 14 during the Thessaloniki International Film Festival. The ceremony takes place on January 16, 2027, in Athens.