Belgium left empty-handed during the 29th ceremony of the European Film Awards. This took place in Wroclaw (in Poland), which is the European Capital of Culture 2016. Belgian works or those co-produced in Belgium were nominated in various categories. These included “European Film”, “European Producer”, “European Scriptwriter”, “European Actress”, “European Actor”, “European Documentary”, “European Animination”, “European Short Film” and even “The People's Choice Award”.
The Palme d'Or winner in May, I, Daniel Blake directed by Britain's Ken Loach, a film co-produced by the production company owned by the Dardenne brothers, Les Films du Fleuve, was nominated in four categories.
These were Film, Producer, Scriptwriter and Actor.
The Austro-German tragi-comedy Toni Erdmann, with screenplay by Maren Ade, in the end scooped “Best Actress”.
Also featured amongst the nominees were the feature film Elle by the Dutchman, Paul Verhoeven (Belgian co-producer of Break of Dawn), Graduation by Roumain Cristian Mungiu (also produced by “Films du Fleuve”) and The Land of the Enlightened by Gantois Pieter-Jan De Pue.
Others up for awards were A Family Affair by the Dutchman Tom Fassaert (co-producer of "Clin d'Oeil films"), The Red Turtle by the Dutchman Michael Dudok de Wit (co-produced by Belvision) and indeed The Brand New Testament by Jaco Van Dormael.
The Brussels Times
