[PHOTOS] European Film Awards 2012

Months of preparation came to a head last Saturday, as the 25th edition of the European Film Awards took place at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta.

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Dubbed the 'European Oscars', the ceremony (which takes place in Berlin and then alternates to another European city on a bi-annual basis) was the brainchild of German director Wim Wenders, who spoke of the need to continue nurturing European cinema despite harsh economic climes and the consistent popularity of Hollywood features over smaller, but more varied, European gems.

Buzz had been steadily building locally after it was announced that British actress Helen Mirren (The Queen, Prime Suspect) and veteran Italian director Bernardo Bertolucci will be visiting the island to pick up the award for European Achievement in World Cinema and the European Film Academy Lifetime Achievement Award respectively. Seasoned UK actor Michael Gambon (known for playing the wizard Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series) was also at the ceremony, and presented the prestigious award to Mirren.

The clear winner at this year's awards was Michael Haneke's Amour, which swept up the key awards of Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor (Jean Louis Trintrignant) and Best Actress (Emmanuele Riva). Detailing an elderly couple's marriage coming under strain after Riva's Anne suffers a stroke, Haneke's austere but affecting film was not a surprising triumph.

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Other favourites - including the sex addict drama Shame and the restrained espionage thriller Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - bagged mostly technical accolades, while the Best Screenwriter award went to Tobias Lindhold and Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt.

Starring former Bond villain Mads Mikkelsen, The Hunt was also in the running for Best Film, Director and Actor, with director and co-screenwriter Vinterberg being a respected Dutch filmmaker following his successful cult drama Festen.

The European Film Academy has always been a champion of up-and-coming filmmakers. To this end, Boudewijn Koole's Kauwboy was given the 'European Disovery' prize, while the Swiss documentary Winter Nomads took home the Best Documentary Prize. The 'People's Choice' award went to Hasta La Vista, as producer Mariano von Hoff proposed to his girlfriend (in case you were curious: she said "yes").

All photos by Ray Attard.