European Film Awards 2026: Artistic Director: MetFilm School – Berlin Head of School, Robert Lehniger
The European Film Awards may be less famous than their British and American counterparts, but they are every bit as important and wonderful a celebration of film as the BAFTAs and Oscars. The event takes place in Berlin every two years – and both this month’s event, celebrating its 38th anniversary, and the event two years ago were executed under the creative leadership of our very own Robert Lehniger, Head of School of MetFilm School-Berlin.
As Artistic Director, Robert’s brief was to celebrate European cinema in the design and execution of the ceremony. In doing so, Robert brought in filmmaker Mark Cousins to front the evening. Robert says: “Rather than foregrounding glamour and comedy, the ceremony asked a simple, essential question: why do we love cinema? Allowing filmmakers to celebrate the art of filmmaking itself, the evening unfolded intuitively – shaped by a dialogue between sound, image, and space, and by the diverse voices of the European film community on stage.”
MetFilm School director, Jonny Persey, was amongst the 1,000 strong audience:
“I was so proud to accompany Robert during the afterparty, and to see and hear the remarkable appreciation and incredible accolades he received for taking the ceremony up a level, for creating an innovative celebration of cinema, the diversity of European approaches to it. He made 4 hours fly by in the blink of an eye. Robert’s groundbreaking approach was a joy to behold.”
Robert adds:
“I was especially delighted to see our students involved, given the opportunity to participate, build valuable connections, and deepen our school’s relationship with the industry while celebrating alongside the European film community.”
Attendees included a range of leading figures in contemporary European cinema, such as Juliette Binoche, Mads Mikkelsen, Liv Ullmann, Vicky Krieps, Wim Wenders, Agnieszka Holland, Paolo Sorrentino, Joachim Trier, and Maria Schrader, alongside Academy members and an array of international guests.
Accompanying them, eleven MetFilm School Berlin students and alumni from various Filmmaking courses were involved in various capacities at the event, and then enjoyed the aftershow party, where they were able to continue conversations in a more informal setting and meet a wider cross-section of the European film community.
For many, it was a rare opportunity to connect directly with industry professionals who had travelled to Berlin for the awards — from producers and directors to festival and sales representatives.
Ludovica Sacchi, who worked and attended the afterparty, had this to add: “Volunteering at The European Film Awards was a true delight. I know we will all remember this night for the rest of our lives. After being a little over a year into my studies, I can truly say I am so glad to be a part of BIMM.”
We’re so proud of our students for getting stuck in, and we can’t wait to see where opportunities like these will take them.
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