Editor

Following 8 years of successful collaboration with DDA Productions, who have financed and executive produced the European Film Awards ceremony, the European Film Academy is again moving into a new era. Starting with this year's edition, taking place on Saturday 3rd December in Berlin, the European Film Academy will take over the production of its annual celebration of European filmmaking.

This mutually agreed development brings to its natural conclusion the trend started in 2003, when Wim Wenders, President of the Academy, launched and oversaw a new creative concept for the Awards ceremony, with the Academy taking on more creative control of the gala. The Academy and DDA Productions believe they have now reached the natural crossroads, where DDA Productions should step down and hand over complete control of the production of the European Film Awards to the Academy.

Nik Powell said `The Board of European Film Academy wish to thank DDA Productions for the past 8 years. When they were appointed in 1997, the European Film Awards ceremony needed a total revamp, to make it attractive to broadcasters, the media, patrons, sponsors and, most of all, to our membership. In the years since, the Academy and Awards have experienced unprecedented growth, which would have been impossible without our partnership with Dennis & the DDA team. The finance, time, hard work, human resources and expertise they have put into the Awards has brought them to the point where we feel confident that we can continue to grow their profile and stature under the auspices of the Academy'.

Dennis Davidson said `Producing the European Film Awards has been an incredible experience and I'd like to thank Wim Wenders, Nik Powell, Marion Döring and the whole of the European Film Academy for the trust that they showed in appointing DDA all those years ago. DDA Productions was set up to turn their ambitious vision into reality and I'm proud of the progress that has been made to that end. The Academy is now well placed to finish the job and I wish them all success in achieving their goals'.

The European Film Academy is headquartered in Berlin, where the secretariat is headed by director Marion Döring.