Sentimental Value sweeps up at European Film Awards

Sentimental Value swept aside its competition at the European Film Awards on Saturday night, seizing all five top prizes.

At the ceremony in Berlin, it went home with Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenwriter, Best Actor for Stellan Skarsgard and Best Actress for Renate Reinsve, as well as Best Composer.

"Together with strangers, we can laugh and cry in the cinema," Trier gushed on accepting the award for Best Film.

"So this is also a plea to keep cinema alive, because it is a place where many of us grew up and learned about being human."

The triumph for the Norwegian film, about an ageing film-maker (Skarsgard) trying to recruit his estranged daughter (Reinsve) for his final work, makes it a strong contender for an Oscar at the Academy Awards in March.

The film also won the Grand Prix at Cannes last year, and Skarsgard won Best Supporting Male Actor in a Motion Picture for his role at the 2026 Golden Globes.

Spanish director Oliver Laxe's road-trip thriller, Sirat, also enjoyed a strong night with five prizes.

Here's a highlight list of the Bests.

Film: Sentimental Value

Documentary: Fiume o Morte!

Animated feature film: Arco

Director: Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Actress: Renate Reinsve for Sentimental Value

Actor: Stellan Skarsgard for Sentimental Value

Screenwriter: Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier for Sentimental Value

Cinematographer: Mauro Herce for Sirat

Composer: Hania Rani for Sentimental Value

Short film: City of Poets

Lifetime achievement award: Liv Ullmann