European Film Academy Awards
Paris, December 2

The European Film Academy (EFA) has announced the nominations for the European Short Film Award 2000 - Prix UIP, sponsored by United International Pictures. The Prix UIP, which also includes a cash prize of €10,000, will be presented to the winning director at the Awards ceremony on 2nd December in Paris.

This category reflects the importance of quality short films in European cinema, both as a training ground for new film makers and as an opportunity for established directors to explore more unusual cinematic subjects and techniques. Noteworthy short films can establish film making careers by gaining attention at European Short Film Festivals such as Oberhausen/Germany, Clermont-Ferrand/France, Krakow/Poland, Tampere/Finland and Vila Do Conde/Portugal, which have all participated in this year's nomination procedure.

From 2001, EFA and UIP will extend their co-operation. So far, ten festivals have agreed to present UIP Short Film Awards which will automatically include a nomination for the European Film Awards 2001 as well as a donation of €2,000 for each of the ten prize winners. The festivals that have confirmed their co-operation are:

Flanders International Film Festival (Belgium)
Valladolid International Film Festival (Spain)
Regus London Film Festival (UK)
Premier Plans-Festival d'Angers (France)
Berlin International Film Festival (Germany)
Tampere Short Film Festival (Finland)
Norwegian Short Film Festival (Grimstadt/Norway)
Vila Do Condo Short Film Festival (Portugal)
Sarajevo Film Festival (Bosnia Herzegovina)
Venice International Film Festival (Italy)
The nominations for the European Short Film 2000 - Prix UIP are:

A MI GÓLYÁNK (Our Stork), Hungary
by Livia Gyarmathy
DE ZONE (The Zone), Netherlands
by Ben van Lieshout
FERMENT, UK
by Tim MacMillan
I NIE OPUSZCZE CIE AŽ DO SMIERCI (And I Will Not Leave You Until I Die)
by Maciej Adamek
KOVAT MIEHET (A Stone Left Unturned), Finland
by Maarit Lalli

UIP started its funding of the European Film Academy's Short Film Award - the Prix UIP last year. The first winner was Italian director, Enrico Verra, for his short film Benvenuto in San Salvario (Welcome to San Salvario).

All the nominated films are voted on by the members of the European Film Academy, and the overall winner will be presented with the European Short Film Award - Prix UIP and the financial donation of €10,000 at the annual Awards ceremony.

Paul Oneile, Chairman and CEO, UIP, remarked: "We believe that the European Film Academy plays an increasingly valuable role in bringing together the national film industries and, in so doing, promoting pan-European cinema and its film makers to the rest of the world. In turn, the Short Film has long been the proving ground for writers, directors, producers and technicians. Together, the European Film Academy and the Short Film Award are the perfect situation for UIP to play a truly proactive role. We are delighted to have made a multi-year commitment to supporting the Academy's European Short Film Award."

Nik Powell added: "As everyone recognises, short filmmaking is an incredibly valuable training ground for the young filmmakers of the future. The Academy is delighted to have found such like-minded and generous support from UIP. This initiative offers an extraordinary platform for the next generation of European filmmakers to make themselves known to an international audience."

The 2000 European Film Awards ceremony, which is produced by DDA Productions, will take place in Paris at the Theatre National de Chaillot on Saturday 2nd December.