A growing international network of cinema partners
Building on the success of previous editions, the European Award Season 2027, in partnership with Europa Cinemas & CICAE, continues to expand its international reach, connecting cinemas and cultural partners in 150 cities across 50 countries, from Reykjavík to Athens and Lisbon to Bucharest as well as beyond Europe in locations including Hong Kong, Hanoi, Santiago de Chile and Washington D.C.
The scale of this collective effort led in last year’s edition to a record number of more than 40,000 screenings and more than one million admissions. Each screening offers audiences an opportunity to discover a new film, encounter a different perspective or reconnect with the richness of European cinema. All box-office revenues remained with the participating partner cinemas, supporting the local venues that bring these films to their audiences.
Throughout the European Award Season, partner venues shape their own programmes, reflecting their local audiences and interests while highlighting the breadth of European film culture. Alongside contemporary European films, screenings may include retrospectives, special events and opportunities to explore the history of European cinema, reaching communities of all sizes and bringing European films to audiences who might otherwise miss them. The initiative also reaches smaller towns and local cinema networks, ensuring that European cinema can be experienced in a wide variety of cultural and community settings.
Supported by Eurimages, special screenings of films nominated for the European Film Awards will be introduced by members of the European Film Academy in Athens, Berlin and Paris.
New partners and territories
The 2027 edition welcomes a new wave of partners across Europe and beyond: Andorra and Greenland join the network for the first time. In Andorra, Cineclub de les Valls will present the programme at the Teatre Comunal d’Andorra la Vella, while in Greenland, Greenland Film Makers and Kalaallit Nunaanni Filminstitutti – Film Institute of Greenland will connect local audiences with European cinema.
The season also welcomes new partners in Luxembourg, where the Cinémathèque de la Ville de Luxembourg joins the network, and in the Netherlands, with Amsterdam’s iconic Koninklijk Theater Tuschinski bringing its distinctive setting to the initiative. On the Swedish island of Fårö, the Bergmancenter brings the season to a place closely associated with the Academy’s founding father Ingmar Bergman and his cinematic legacy.
The 2027 edition also marks a major step beyond Europe: the United States joins the European Award Season as a participating country for the first time, with the Berkshire International Film Festival and the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington D.C. presenting the European Union’s „Transatlantic Rising Stars Program”.
From historic cinemas and film heritage institutions to festivals and cultural organisations, these new additions reflect the many ways European cinema can travel, reach new audiences and spark connections across borders — and well beyond Europe itself.
European cinema on streaming platforms and beyond
The European Award Season also extends to online platforms, opening up further opportunities for audiences to discover European filmmaking.
MUBI will present a dedicated European Award Season collection featuring more than 100 titles. DAFilms will present a special focus on European documentaries, bringing attention to distinctive documentary voices and perspectives from across Europe. Festival Scope will make the short film candidates for the European Film Awards available to international audiences, providing a platform for emerging filmmakers and short-form storytelling. filmfriend, the streaming service available through more than 870 public libraries across Europe, will offer audiences another way to explore European cinema through their library membership. In 2026, filmfriend launched A Century in 100 Films, a special series inviting viewers to discover European film heritage.
Together, these partnerships broaden the reach of the European Award Season, connecting audiences with European films through cinemas, festivals, cultural institutions and digital services.
Building visibility for European cinema
All participating cinemas screen European films, many of which are contemporary and shortlisted for the European Film Awards. The programmes also include the films nominated for the LUX Audience Award and the European Young Audience Award.
The European Award Season will also see the European Arthouse Cinema Day on 22 November, a project organised by CICAE, the international confederation of arthouse cinemas. From 30 November to 4 December 2026, around 100 cinemas across Europe will take part in a special edition of European Cinema Night, offering audiences the opportunity to discover or rediscover award-winning European films. Under the theme “Keeping Stories in Motion”, this Europa Cinemas initiative will celebrate 35 years of Creative Europe MEDIA.
The European Award Season is also an opportunity to engage younger audiences and encourage the next generation of cinemagoers. Established in 2012, the European Young Audience Award invites young people aged 12 and over to discover outstanding European films and take part in the process of choosing the winner. During the season, partner cinemas and cultural organisations include the three nominated films in their programmes, giving young audiences the opportunity to watch, discuss and vote for their favourite. The winner will be announced as part of the European Film Awards.
Matthijs Wouter Knol, CEO and Director of the European Film Academy, says: “The European Award Season encourages partners to show European films under a special label to their local communities. The European Film Academy acts as an engine organisation to brand this common effort. We want to create a feeling of excitement and momentum in the last months of the year to discover or rewatch the best films of the continent. In the past five years, the first effects of this approach can be seen. As an organisation, we want to contribute to more European films to be seen by audiences, by actively joining forces.”
The European Award Season is supported by the Creative Europe MEDIA Programme of the European Union and Eurimages, and co-operates with CICAE, Europa Cinemas and European Film Promotion. Media partners are Cineuropa and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU).
For more information about the European Award Season and its participating partners, visit europeanawardseason.eu.
