Alice Rohrwacher Honored with European Achievement in World Cinema Award

Italian filmmaker Alice Rohrwacher will receive the prestigious European Achievement in World Cinema Award at the 38th European Film Awards, scheduled for January 17, 2026, in Berlin. The award highlights her significant contributions to global cinema and acknowledges her ongoing collaboration with producer Carlo Cresto-Dina and his production company, tempesta, which has produced all of Rohrwacher’s feature films.

In its announcement, the European Film Academy commended Rohrwacher for her “unusual and inspiring body of work.” The Academy praised her “careful eye for the realities of a teenager’s life” and recognized her “big heart for the countryside,” placing her among “contemporary cinema’s most distinctive voices worldwide.”

Born in Tuscany, Rohrwacher pursued studies in literature and philosophy at the University of Turin, followed by a focus on documentary filmmaking in Lisbon. Her debut feature, Corpo Celeste, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011 and received a nomination for the Italian David di Donatello Awards. She returned to Cannes in 2014 with The Wonders, which won the Grand Jury Prize, and again in 2018 with Happy as Lazzaro, which earned her the award for Best Screenplay, along with nominations for both the European Film Award and the David di Donatello Awards.

Rohrwacher’s recent works include Futura (2021), a collaborative documentary that captures the perspectives of Italian teenagers, and La Chimera (2023), a film exploring the lives of grave robbers involved in Etruscan antiquities. La Chimera features a talented cast, including Josh O’Connor, Alba Rohrwacher, and Isabella Rossellini. The film also debuted at Cannes and received multiple international nominations, winning the award for production design at the European Film Awards.

In addition, Rohrwacher’s short film, Le Pupille, released in 2023, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film.

The European Film Awards, organized each year by the European Film Academy, celebrate excellence in European filmmaking. The Academy promotes the continent’s cinematic heritage and fosters a community of over 5,000 members, enhancing the visibility of European cinema on the world stage. Alice Rohrwacher’s recognition is not only a testament to her individual talent but also underscores the importance of storytelling in the broader European film landscape.