The Festival dei Popoli has joined the ranks of festivals officially recognised by the European Film Academy: from the next edition onwards, European documentaries selected for the competition will be eligible for the European Film Awards (EFA), the most prestigious award in European cinema.

“This is a significant acknowledgement for our festival and for all the hard work we have put in over the years to strengthen its standing both nationally and internationally. Being included in the select group of Italian events that allow participating films to be eligible for the prestigious European Film Awards is the result of an ongoing effort to raise the standard of the films in competition at the Festival dei Popoli, with a focus on commitment, quality, originality and distribution potential. More and more films from recent editions have made their mark following their premiere in Florence, embarking on long-term journeys through cinemas and festivals. Now our hope is that, for some of these, this successful trajectory may lead all the way to the European Film Academy awards.” (A. Stellino, Artistic Director)

Selection for the competitive sections at the Festival dei Popoli is one of the routes through which a European documentary film becomes eligible for the EFA selection in the European Documentary category: eligible films will be assessed by a committee of Academy members and experts, who will draw up a shortlist of up to fifteen titles, from which the five nominees competing for the Best European Documentary award will ultimately be chosen.