EFA welcomes new members

In June, the European Film Academy (EFA) announced the intake of new members, 640 of them from 50 countries. On that list one can find the names of 21 Slovenian film professionals: 9 actors (Ludvik Bagari, Nataša Burger, Alen Kermac, Suzana Krevh, Gašper Markun, Jara Sofija Ostan, Robert Prebil, Saša Tabaković and Matej Zemljič), 4 directors (Boris Petkovič, Sonja Prosenc, Jani Sever and Leon Vidmar), 3 producers (Zoran Dževerdanović, Viva Videnović and Petra Vidmar), 3 editors (Daša Bezjak, Matic Drakulić and Špela Murenc Škulj), a set designer Mateja Medvedić and a costume designer Mateja Fajt.

A little reminder: last year, three Slovenian majority, parity and minority co-productions were nominated for the European Film Awards: Urška Djukić’s Little Trouble Girls for the best debut feature, Tales from the Magic Garden (co-directed by Leon Vidmar, David Súkup, Patrik Pašš and Jean-Claude Rozec) in the animated feature category, and Igor Bezinović’s Fiume o morte! for the best documentary and best European film overall. Bezinović’s feature-length docu-fiction triumphed in the documentary category.

Confirming the new Slovenian members, European Film Academy Director Matthijs Wouter Knol said: "Following the April visit of the Academy's Board of Directors to Ljubljana, the European Film Academy is extremely pleased to see so many Slovenian members from various fields joining. This is a sign that the ties between the Slovenian and European film communities are strengthening." Director of the Slovenian Film Centre Nataša Bučar added: "The European Film Academy is one of the key pillars of the European film community. The fact that the number of Slovenian members of the academy has more than doubled in recent years confirms the increasing recognition and reputation of Slovenian film, which has established itself in recent years as an important and indispensable part of the European film space."

Along with the existing members, the new members are also eligible to vote for the European Film Awards. The current membership stands at 5,700 members from 60 countries. More than 40% of the current membership was added in the last five years. The European Film Academy was founded in 1988 by the established European film professionals Ingmar Bergman, Pedro Almodóvar, Federico Fellini, Isabelle Huppert, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Marcello Mastroianni, István Szabó, Liv Ullmann and Wim Wenders. During the first few years, the number of members was limited to 99, but since the new policy was introduced in the 90s, it has been on a constant rise.

Congratulations to the new members.
Source: Slovenian Film Centre