Eccentricities from the European fold

The nominations for the European Film Awards, which take place in Malta on December 1st, have been announced and – as ever – the eccentricities of release patterns mean that a few of the shortlisted films figured in the last awards season. The most nominated films are Michael Haneke’s Amour, Thomas Vinterberg’s The Hunt, Steve McQueen’s Shame and Tomas Alfredson’s Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy. The nominations for best film include The Hunt, Shame, Untouchable, Amour and two surprises: Christian Petzold’s admired Barbara and Paolo and Vittorio Taviani’s Caesar Must Die, winner of the Golden Bear at Berlin.

Elsewhere in awardsland, Rufus Norris’s Broken, written by our own Mark O’Rowe, picked up the most nominations for the British Independent Film Awards. Cheeringly, two brilliant oddball shockers – Ben Wheatley’s Sightseers and Peter Strickland’s Berberian Sound Studio – secured second place in the chart.