Emilia Pérez shines at the European Film Awards

Best Actress winner Karla Sofía Gascón in Emilia Pérez

It was a great night for Jacques Audiard and his team on Friday as Emilia Pérez took five prizes, including Best Film, at the European Film Awards. The film, which explores issues of gender as it charts the transition of a former cartel boss, has met with criticism in some parts of the trans community but made star Karla Sofía Gascón the first openly trans woman ever to win a major acting award. Although these awards are sometimes contested by films which everyone else considered a year previously - a fact they intend to change by holding their next ceremony in January 2026 - Audiard's film is an exception to that, and this win places it in a strong position for the big events to come.

There was little surprise in the audience as the award for best European Animation went to Latvian Gints Zilbalodis for the thoughtful and unforgettably beautiful Flow. Boris Lojkine's Souleymane's Story won two awards, including Best Actor, and Denmark's The Girl With The Needle picked up two in the technical categories, while the award for Best European Short went to Nebojša Slijepčević's The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent.

Those awards in full:

Best European Film

• Emilia Pérez

Best European Documentary

• No Other Land

Best European Director

• Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez

Best Actress

• Karla Sofía Gascón – Emilia Pérez

Best Actor

• Abou Sangare – Souleymane’s Story

Best Screenplay

• Jacques Audiard – Emilia Pérez

European Discovery – Prix FIPRESCI

• Armand

European Young Audience Award

• The Remarkable Life Of Ibelin

Best European Animated Film

• Flow

Best European Short Film

• The Man Who Could Not Remain Silent

European Achievement in World Cinema

• Isabella Rossellini

Best European Editing

• Emilia Pérez

Best European Production Design

• The Girl With the Needle

Best European Costume Design

• The Devil’s Bath

Best European Make-up & Hair

• When The Light Breaks

Best European Original Score

• The Girl With The Needle

Best European Sound

• Souleymane’s Story

Best European Visual Effects

• The Substance