The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. Every year, the European Film Academy honours films and filmmakers with the European Film Awards. The ceremony is taking place every even year in a different European city, and every odd year in Berlin. European Film Academy The academy—under the name of European Cinema Society—was founded by Swedish director Ingmar Bergman, as well as 40 filmmakers from all over Europe, among them Bernardo Bertolucci, Claude Chabrol, Dušan Makavejev, István Szabó, and Wim Wenders. Bergman became the first president, and Wenders was elected chairman. A year later, the European Cinema Society was renamed European Film Academy and was registered as a non-profit association. In 1996, Wenders took over the presidency from Bergman, and the British producer Nik Powell was elected chairman. The board of the academy consists of members representing various parts of Europe. Board members are elected for a period of 2 years, with a maximum period of 3 periods. Board meetings take place 3 times a year, one of which is in Berlin, where the academy is headquartered. Polish veteran filmmaker Agnieszka Holland was elected the third president of the European Film Academy in 2021. The current chair of the board is Irish-British film producer Mike Downey. Based on a decision of the general assembly, the number of members—originally limited to 99—has been continuously increasing and has now reached 4,225 (as of December 2021). The academy is working in close contact with the most institutions and organisations that form the backbone of the European film industry. Organisational structure President: Agnieszka Holland (since 2021) Chair of the board: Mike Downey (since 2020) CEO and director: Matthijs Wouter Knol (since 2021) Deputy chairs: Rebecca O'Brien, Ada Solomon Current members of the board: Graziella Bildesheim, Bettina Brokemper, Virginie Devesa, Joana Domingues, Marta Donzelli, Ildikó Enyedi, Nina Hoss, Mike Goodridge, Baltasar Kormákur, Christophe Leparc, Leontine Petit, Antonio Saura, Katriel Schory, Jim Sheridan, Mira Staleva, Joanna Szymańska. Honorary members of the board: Sir Ben Kingsley, István Szabó Former honorary members of the board: Dušan Makavejev, Jeanne Moreau Members per country Listed are all countries with more than 20 European Film Academy members. The European Film Academy is active and has members in 52 countries, including those of geographical Europe as well