[LIVE BLOG] European Film Awards 2012 | Amour sweeps top prizes | Bertolucci and Mirren honoured

23:26: It's nice to see the Christopher Lee-like Haneke laugh, parrying questions about future productions ("you don't talk about eggs that haven't hatched yet") and possibly remaking Amour into an English version, as he did with Funny Games ("Amour was all about the actors, so it doesn't make sense for me to remake it with someone else")

23:24: Oh dear, another Caravaggio question. "I saw the Caravaggio in St John's, I was very impressed, but I don't know how it relates to my film..." Asked about winning awards: "It's very pleasant. And better still: it helps the subsequent film..."

23:21: Austere-Austrian-Auteur Michael Haneke takes the stage, makes light of his refusal to speak English but still uses interpreter. Asked question about the Oscars: "It's not my problem."

23:18: Mirren: "I think we have the great misfortune in England of speaking English - I loved it when Michael Haneke spoke German... but in a way our misfortune as film people is that we speak the same language as Americans, so we're looking over at them to make our films... and it's not like Americans like films with subtitles (they're idiots, really).."

23:16: Mirren gets visibly emotional as she talks about tonight's accolade. Speaks about returning to the role of Queen Elizabeth II in a play: "I was a bit apprehensive about returning to the role but it's such a great team that I would have been an idiot not go back."

23:13: Mirren: "You become a different person, don't you, as you get older? You remember your older self but you feel like such a different person... I would never have imagined to be here... to be Dame Helen Mirren was extraordinary, and to accept the award here, was really fantastic... and thank God I didn't know! It would have been a disaster had I known!"

23:10: Dame Helen Mirren: "It was a lovely moment to be recognised..." Speaking about the aforementioned "art-cum-porn" cinema in Brighton: "I have no idea what happened to it! But I remember being an usherette at a similar cinema." Also speaks about approaching Alfred Hitchcock for a part in Frenzy. (Mirren plays his wife Alma in the upcoming Hitchcock). "I was too stupid to understand how important he was, but at that moment he just didn't strike me as my kind of filmmaker..."

23:03: Best Cinematographer winner for Shame Sean Bobitt speaks of director Steve McQueen's precision, and how "a crack in the wall is as important as everything else." Speaking of the unflinching focus on the human body in Shame: "Bodies are amazing things, we all have them... it's all about respect, trying to get the body into a light that is real." In comments to MaltaToday on the film's claustrophobic sheen: "We really wanted to simplify and pare things down to their essentials, we couldn't make it into a documentary experience."

23:00: Now at the Awards Q&A - Thomas Vinterberg appeared surprised and saddened by the supposedly beleaguered state of European cinema.

22:40: So that's a total of four awards for Haneke's misery-fest Amour. What does that say about both Wenders's European soul and de Marco's 'engangered species?'

22:39: Drum roll... Amour! And Haneke is okay with speaking in English now...

22:36: Judgement time - Best Film Award presented by Amira Casar and Carlos Saura. It was inevitable: Casar slips in a reference to Caravaggio. It's a toss-up between Amour and Shame.

22:28: Bertolucci: "Life is too long, and in fact they say my mouth is too dry to make a long speech..." Speaks about his participation in the very first edition of the EFAs in Berlin, and being sat side-by-side with the "beautiful" Ingmar Bergman. "What else can I say? Long live European cinema... and the Venus, that is Malta!" And in reference to the popular French comedy (and EFA nominee) Untouchable: "Maybe [my wheelchair-bound condition] is the beginning of Untouchable: Part 2!"

22:19: Wim Wenders - "winner of the crazy hair award" - and The Skin I Live In's Marisa Paredes present the award for Lifetime Achievement to Bernardo Bertolucci. Discuss Bertolucci's socially, sexually and politically charged oeuvre, numbering in masterpieces such as Novecento, Last Tango in Paris, The Last Emperor and, more recently, The Dreamers. An acolyte of Italian master Pier Paolo Pasolini, Bertolucci is a truly international filmmaker who never shied away from his political views: being a self-declared Marxist.

22:18: Navel-gazing documentary on the awards continues... current polemic being discussed: the loss of identity in contemporary culture. "I think we're fighting for the soul of European society"

22:16: Another humorous interlude with Engelke. Local social networks amused at the allowance of 'f-bombs' on live Maltese TV thanks to the Awards...

22:11: Yep. Emmanuel Riva - who couldn't be with us tonight either - take the Best Actress Award. Producer accepts award on Riva's behalf (who is ill): "It's an honour for me, and such a great chance to do it right. Thank you very much Michael Haneke, thank you very much, members of the Academy."

22:10: Game of Thrones's own Melisandre, Carice van Houten, presents the award for Best Actress in a resplendently pouffy white dress: "I promise you, I'm definitely not getting married..." Will Emmanuel Riva join her Amour co-star in the best actress stakes?

22:08: Best Actor award goes to... Jean-Louis Trintignant for Amour. Sends video message in thanks.

22:06: Polish actor Maciej Stuhr presents award for Best Actor. "Mads Mikkelsen, will you marry me? I know your family's here but..."

22:05: Mario's Brikkuni asked to announce the award for Best Actress and Actor, in the apparently weird and wonderful language that is Maltese...

22:00: Host: "This island is amazing. The language is crazy. Brikkuni's Mario, tell me something about the language..." Mario: "It's a mixture of the Latin and the Semitic I guess... and Aramaic..." Host: "Oh, so you were the only people who could understand Mel Gibson's Passion of the Christ and laugh at the jokes!"

21:57: Sergio Lopez takes a break from the buffet to present the People's Choice Award goes to Hasta La Vista! Producer Mariano Von Hoff proposes marriage! (Understandably, the girlfriend is in tears... but judging by their loving kiss it looks like it's a yes...)

21:56: Best Production Design Award, also presented by Corlett and Lindhardt: Marija Djurkovic for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. "Bloody hell this is amazing... I owe all this to director Thomas Alfredson."

21:52: Maltese actress Marama Corlett and Danish actor Thure Lindhardt present the actor for Best Editor. Winner: Shame's Joe Walker. Does not receive the award in person but sends a speech "by sms": "I'm sorry I couldn't be there, because unlike most British people I'm proud to be European."

21:49: Engelke promises a Burlesque show, complete with Bengal tigers, while escaping to the after-party buffet, guarded by Spanish actor Sergi Lopez (Pan's Labyrinth). "My people know that nothing is for free..."

21:48: Host Anke Engelke extols the 'carnal' virtues of Shame star Michael Fassbender in a 'beeptastic' sketch that would make Jerry Springer proud.

21:47: Michael Haneke: "Thank you very much to my beautiful wife, my actors and my producers."

21:45: The austere director of Amour insisted on not speaking in English at the red carpet... and he makes good on that as he picks up the award now... but then interrupts his interpreter with "that's a little bit short, but it's ok..."

21:42: Former Bond villain and star of The Hunt, Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen (nominated for Best Actor in both The Hunt and The Royal Affair) presents the Best Director Awards and lets out a snippet of linguistic history: "The word 'fuck' actually comes from Danish..." And the winner is: Michael Haneke!

21:34: Sheridan gears up to present the Best Composer award... speaks about Helen Mirren's "brave" championing of the Irish Troubles, when it wasn't fashionable. Award goes to Alberto Iglesias for Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. Brikkuni celebrate with a joyful cut from Gadazz Giljan.

21:33: Alas, Sean Bobbitt takes the plaudit for Shame. "I had prepared a speech with was short and witty... but I've forgotten it." Goes on to talk about taking a more 'European' approach to the film.

21:30: Irish director Jim Sheridan speaks about inspecting Malta's water tanks for a prospective shoot, and the paradox of being stuck with a paradoxically overcast day in supposedly sunny Malta, as he presents the Best Cinematographer Award. This critic is gunning for Once Upon a Time in Anatolia's "serpentine hills..."

21:25: Brikkuni break into one of their harshest numbers: Zonqor, complete with a defiant chorus of 'Mhux mhux mhux'... frontman Mario Vella looks fetching in a military cap. Looks like an all-smiling, all-clapping Thomas Vinterberg is a fan.

21:22: Oh, nevemind. It's a standard rhapsody to the artsy diversity of European cinema... "I can't tell you what this means to me - it's the culmination of a journey that began in that smelly little cinema watching L'Avventura. Thank you!"

21:21: Helen Mirren: "Thank you for the great honour of recognising that I, too, am a f***ing whore." Recounts a story involving art-cum-porn cinemas... this should be interesting.

21:18: Back to reality: Sir Michael Gambon (is that slurring we hear?) takes the stage to officially present Helen Mirren the award for European Achievement in World Cinema 2012. Audience regaled with clips from Helen Mirren's extensive back-catalogue.

21:16: Russian director Alexei Popogrebsky has a moment of public affection with host Anke Engelke. He proceeds to poke fun at Helen Mirren's Russian heritage... "In fact she likes to say that her 'lower half' is Russian..."

21:12: Award for Best Documentary goes to Manuel von Struler's (Switzerland) Winter Nomads.

21:10: Best Screenwriter award to The Hunt! by Tobias Lindhold and Thomas Vinterberg. Vinterberg was a founding member of the Dogme school of filmmaking, making a mark with his awkward family gathering drama Festen (A Celebration). Presented by Bosnian filmmaker Danis Tanovic.

20:47: Best Animated Film goes to Tomas Lunak's Alois Nebel. European Discovery Award: Kauwboy by Boudewijn Koole... appropriately scored to Brikkuni's Willie Vassalo. Both presented by striking Italian actress Caterina Murino. Kauboy also favourite film among 700 young 'jurors'.

20:28: Russian actor Grigory Dobrygin presents Short Film award to director Tudor Giurgiu for Superman, Spiderman or Batman.

20:26: Danielsson says her psychology background helped her in her career. "I'd like to thank my 'support group' - co-producers, directors, writers - everyone who's made my life so much more fun, and crazy... You loaded my batteries for another ten years."

20:23: Italian actor Kim Rossi Stuart (Fantanghiro) takes to the stage to announce Prix EUROIMAGES award to Swedish producer Helena Danielsson. Danielsson accepts award to medley of Brikkuni's 'Irkotta'.

20:21: Short documentary featuring filmmakers talking about the importance of 'stories'. Julie Delpy: "It makes us different from monkeys."

20:20: Engelke extols Malta as a film location.

20:18: Brikkuni welcome host Anke Engelke, who appears on stage clad in medieval armour... "Thank you Brikkuni, I love their music! Though I'm more into heavy metal, as you can see."

20:15: Awards festival montage, scored to Brikkuni's Kunsenturi, followed by a humorous montage involving Wim Wenders and Popeye village...

20:09: Finance Minister Tonio Fenech: "I am indeed the one 'killing culture' being finance minister... but I am here to support the European film industry in all its forms. Our country is an ideal place to celebrate European cinema. It is the duy of our governments to protectn this industry."

20:03: Culture Minister Mario de Marco: "European film used to be an 'endagered species'... today it is very much alive thanks to your efforts. European film has, indeed, so much to offer. We need to ensure that these works of art are widely enjoyed by audiences worldwide. Our films are in search of an audience..."

19:58: Wim Wenders: "Then again, your island is no stranger to the film business. And with Europe being in an economic crisis, film is crucial to providing us with an identity. You will see an incredible wealth of culture tonight. Our cinema can help feed the European soul. Which the present European ministers have tragically neglected."

19:57: Festival founder Wim Wenders takes the stage to present honorary award to Helen Mirren and Bernardo Bertolucci. "What an amazing setting for our Silver Jubilee... imagine when the awards will reach the prestige to deserve such a historically wonderful setting? Grazzi Malta!"

19:53: After a long red carpet session, the European Film Awards get underway with an introduction from the EFA director Marion Döring and Malta's Film Commissioner Peter Busuttil.

16:49: Rehearsals of the Awards finished,press and participants prepare for the red carpet.

Months of excited preparation come to a head this evening as the European Film Awards ceremony takes over the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.

First founded in 1988 by acclaimed German director Wim Wenders, the awards take place in a different European city every other year, and in Berlin in other years.

Acclaimed British actress Helen Mirren will be gracing the red carpet at the MCC at around 18:00, along with veteran Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci -  they will be picking up the award for European Achievement in World Cinema and the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award, respectively.

Other stars also gracing the historical venue will be Michael Gambon (yes - Dumbledore himself), former Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen, 'Fantanghiro' star Kim Rossi Stuart, Game of Throne's Carice van Houten, among others.

Leading the race are Michael Haneke's brooding meditation on an elderly couple's twilight years, Amour and Steve McQueen's sex addict drama Shame – with five and six nominations each.