The European Film Awards (or European Film Academy Awards) have been presented annually since 1988 by the European Film Academy to recognize excellence in European cinematic achievements. The awards are given in 19 categories, of which the most important is the Best Film. They are restricted to European cinema and European producers, directors, and actors. The awards were officially also called the "Felix Awards" until 1997, in reference to the former award's trophy statuette, which was replaced by a feminine statuette. Since 1997, the European Film Awards have been held in early- to mid-December. Hosting duties have alternated between Berlin, Germany in odd-numbered years and other European cities in even-numbered years. The most recent European Film Awards were held on 12 December 2020 as a virtual ceremony. In reaction to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Russian films were excluded from the 2022 European Film Awards. Awarding procedures Feature films participating in the European Film Awards must be European feature-length fiction films intended for normal theatrical release which must have had their first official screening (be it at a festival or at a regular cinema) after 1 July of the year before. Based on a selection of approximately 40 films recommended for a nomination, the members of the European Film Academy vote for the nominations in the main categories, which are announced in early November at the Seville European Film Festival. Based on the nominations, the members of the European Film Academy then vote for the winners which are announced at the European Film Awards Ceremony in early December. Controversies The European Film Academy (EFA) Awards’ Best Film winner, Melancholia became the third Lars von Trier film to win EFA’s top award, following Breaking the Waves (1996) and Dancer in the Dark (2000) – this despite the fact that the filmmaker became embroiled in a nasty controversy after making jokes about Jews and Adolf Hitler at that year’s Cannes Film Festival. Eligibility The criteria whereby a film qualifies as European are based upon the European Convention on Cinematographic Co-production, Appendix II, issued by the Council of Europe. This definition might be extended for Israeli and Palestinian works and nationalities. A cinematographic work qualifies as European if it achieves at least 16 points (out of 21). The European Film Academy uses a lower minimum of 13 points. Host cities European Capital of Culture event Up through the 2018 ceremony, 15 cities