In a truly European combination, the hosts fort his year's European Film Awards on 1 December will be the French actress EMMANUELLE BEART and German actor JAN JOSEF LIEFERS. They will be leading the 1,400 guests at Berlin's Arena through a celebration of the European Film Awards' 20^th anniversary.

EFA President WIM WENDERS will welcome to Berlin founding members of the European Film Academy and two of the greatest faces on European screen - French actress JEANNE MOREAU and Norwegian actress/director LIV ULLMANN.

Joining them on stage is an impressive line-up of presenters, among them actresses ALICJA BACHLEDA-CURUS from Poland, MARIA GRAZIA CUCINOTTA from Italy, VIRGINIE LEDOYEN from France, MAIA MORGENSTERN from Romania, SONJA RICHTER from Denmark, JOHANNA TER STEEGE from the Netherlands, and former British Shooting Star LUCY RUSSELL.

Their male counterparts will be Serbian filmmaker STEFAN ARSENIJEVIC and actors JEAN-MARC BARR from France, MEHMET KURTULUS from Germany, Spaniard SERGI LOPEZ, MADS MIKKELSEN from Denmark, JUANJO PUIGCORBE from Spain, and last year's host MACIEJ STUHR from Poland.

House band for the evening will be the legendary Finnish band LENINGRAD COWBOYS, known across the world from the films of Aki Kaurismäki and for their unicorn hairdos and half-metre long, sharp-pointed shoes.

Among the guests will be the recipients of the honorary awards - JEAN-LUC GODARD and MICHAEL BALLHAUS - as well as other film stars, winners and nominees, EFA members, and the European film industry.

The script for the event has again been developed by Michael Strauven and the set design comes from the art department of Studio Babelsberg.
The European Film Awards are produced by the European Film Academy and EFA Productions in co-operation with the German public broadcaster ZDF and the European culture channel ARTE. Producer is EFA Director Marion Döring, executive producer is Jürgen Biesinger. The TV production is again directed by Volker Weicker to be broadcast in a total of 61 territories.

On Friday, 30 November, the European Film Academy and the Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent present a special concert at Berlin's historical theatre Admiralspalast: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY! - EUROPEAN FILM COMPOSERS IN CONCERT with the Flemish Radio Orchestra under Dirk Brosse.

The concert is open to the public and ticket sales have already started at