‘Ghost Writer’ Leads European Film Award Nominations

COLOGNE, Germany – The European Film Academy loves Roman Polanski. The director’s political thriller The Ghost Writer has been nominated for seven European Film Awards, including best film, best director and best actor for star Ewan McGregor.

In the best film category, The Ghost Writer is going up against Honey from Turkish director Semih Kaplanoglu, Gods and Monsters from France’s Xavier Beauvois, Samuel Maoz‘s anti-war drama Lebanon, Fatih Akin‘s comedy Soul Kitchen and Oscar-winner The Secret in their Eyes, a Spanish/Argentine coproduction from director Juan Jose Campanella.

Lebanon, which won top honors in Venice last year, received five EFA noms, Honey, Berlin’s Golden Bear winner, picked up three.

Notably missing from the top European Film category is Olivier Assayas‘ 5 1/2 hour terrorist epic Carlos, though the film did receive two EFA noms in the directing and editing catagories.

The 2,300 members of the European Film Academy will select the winners of this year’s EFAs, which will be announced in Tallinn, Estonia Dec. 4.

Click here for a list of nominees in major categories.

EFA 2010 Nominees

European Film

“The Ghost Writer” dir. Roman Polanski
“Honey” dir. Semih Kaplanoglu
“Of Gods and Men” dir. Xavier Beauvios
“Lebanon” dir. Samuel Maoz
“The Secret in their Eyes” dir. Juan Jose Campanella

European Director

Roman Polanski for “The Ghost Writer”
Olivier Assayas for “Carlos”
Semih Kaplanoglu for “Honey”
Samuel Maoz for “Lebanon”
Paolo Virzi for “The First Beautiful Thing”

European Actress

Zrinka Cvitesic in “On the Path”
Sibel Kekilli in “When We Leave”
Lesley Manville in “Another Year”
Sylvie Testud in “Lourdes”
Lotte Verbeek in “Nothing Personal”

European Actor

Ewan McGregor in “The Ghost Writer”
Jakob Cedergren in “Submarino”
Elio Germano in “Our Life”
George Pistereanu in “If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle”
Luis Tosar in “Cell 211”

European Screenwriter

Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for “The Ghost Writer”
Jorge Guerricaechevarria & Daniel Monzon for “Cell 211”
Samuel Maoz for “Lebanon”
Radu Mihaileanu for “The Concert”

Carlo di Palma Cinematography Award

Giora Bejach for “Lebanon”
Caroline Champetier for “Of Gods and Men”
Pavel Kostomarov for “How I Ended this Summer”
Bar?s Ozbicer for “Honey”

European Editor

Herve de Luze for “The Ghost Writer”
Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for “Carlos”
Arik Lahav-Leibovich for “Lebanon”

European Production Designer

Albrecht Konrad for “The Ghost Writer”
Paola Bizzarri & Luis Ramirez for “I, Don Giovanni”
Markku Patila & Jaagup Roomet for “The Temptation of St. Tony”

European Composer

Alexandre Desplat for “The Ghost Writer”
Ales Brezina for “Kawasaki’s Rose”
Pasquale Catalano for “Loose Cannons”
Gary Yershon for “Another Year”