Ten leading European documentary film festivals suggested one film in cooperation with the European Documentary Network.

Based on their recommendations, a documentary committee consisting of EFA Board Member Ira von Gienanth (Germany), festival programmers Marek Hovorka (Czech Republic) and Elena Subirà i Roca (Spain), producer Nik Powell (UK) and commissioning editor Sari Volanen (Finland) decided on the EFA Documentary Selection.

Five films will be nominated for Best European Documentary and the final winning film will be announced on December 15 in Seville at the EFA ceremony.

Jane Magnusson’s Bergman - A Year in a Life had its world premiere at Cannes Classics last May and is now touring world festivals. The Swedish film produced by B-Reel premiered in Sweden on July 13, 2018, attracting 6,370 cinemagoers via SF Studios.

Simon Lereng Wilmont’s The Distant Barking of Dogs produced by Final Cut for Real, had its world premiere at IDFA in Amsterdam where it picked up the First Appearance award. The film about 10-year old Oleg whose life is turned upside down by the on-going conflict in East Ukraine, also won the 2018 Dragon Award for Best Nordic Documentary in Göteborg among a dozen other world accolades. The film opened in Denmark in November 2017.

Both films were supported by Nordisk Film & TV Fond.