European Film Academy names first Community Award trio for Athens
Beki Probst, Marin Karmitz and Sandra den Hamer will receive the first Community Award for Outstanding Contribution to European Film Culture from the European Film Academy, Deadline reported on 30 September.
The Academy announced the three inaugural recipients together. The prize is new. It goes to people working off screen.
The award honours a decisive and continuous contribution over many years to the development and expansion of European film culture, according to the Academy. It is not tied to a single film or a single year.
The presentation is set for 15 January, on the eve of the main ceremony. It will form part of the European Film Awards weekend in Athens in January 2027.
That first presentation will take place at the Welcome Night gala dinner. The dinner will be held at the Acropolis Museum, Deadline reported.
Probst built the marketplace where many such deals begin. She started the European Film Market of the Berlin International Film Festival in its current form in 1988 and managed it through 2014. The market is the business side of the Berlinale, where sellers offer films and distributors buy rights for cinemas and other platforms.
Karmitz built a company that has carried films from production to the public. He is the founder of France's mk2 film company and launched mk2 Productions in 1967. That production arm makes films, while the wider group is also known for distribution and cinemas.
Den Hamer looked after film history and access to it. She was director of the Netherlands Filmmuseum in Amsterdam from 2007 to 2023, Deadline reported. The role put her in charge of a major national collection and its public programmes.
What makes this stand out is the focus. Acting and directing prizes honour a performance or a production. This one honours the long work around them: building a market, sustaining a company, running an archive.
