The competition for this year`s European Film Awards in Berlin was fierce, but it was French director Justine Triet`s Anatomy of a Fall that came out on top.

The latest Palme d`Or winner scooped all of the awards for which it was nominated: European Film, Director, Screenwriter (for Triet and her co-writer Arthur Harari) and Actress (in recognition of Sandra Hüller’s captivating lead performance). In addition to the previously announced Excellence Award for European Editing and the European University Film Award, Triet`s gripping courtroom drama walked away with a total of six statuettes. This victory also marks the third time in the awards` history that a movie directed by a woman has received the top prize, following the triumphs of Maren Ade in 2016 and Jasmila Žbanić in 2020.

Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen won best actor for his role as a commoner turned captain in Nikolaj Arcel’s period drama The Promised Land. 

Other winners on the night were the sweaty-and-intimate documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood, whose Estonian director, Anna Hints, gave her acceptance speech in the medium of song.

Two British directors announced themselves on the international scene: 30-year-old first-time British director Molly Manning Walker added to her Un Certain Regard award at Cannes by scooping the European Discovery prize for debuting directors with How to Have Sex, while Charlotte Regan, 29, received the Young Audience award for her comedy-drama Scrapper.

Full list of awards

Best film Anatomy of a Fall

European Discovery (Fipresci prize) How to Have Sex

Best documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood

Best animated feature Robot Dreams

Best short film Hardly Working

Best director Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Best actress Sandra Hüller, Anatomy of a Fall

Best actor Mads Mikkelsen

Best screenwriter Justine Triet, Anatomy of a Fall

Best cinematography The Promised Land

Best editing Anatomy of a Fall

Best production design La Chimera

Best costume design The Promised Land

Best hair and makeup Society of the Snow

Best original score Club Zero

Best sound The Zone of Interest

Best visual effects Society of the Snow

EFA lifetime achievement award Vanessa Redgrave

European achievement in world cinema Isabel Coixet

European co-production award (Prix Eurimages) Uljana Kim

European university film award Anatomy of a Fall

Young audience award Scrapper

Sustainability award Güler Sabanci

Honorary Award of the Academy President and Board Béla Tarr