Nominations will be unveiled next month ahead of a January 17, 2026 ceremony in Berlin.
The shortlist spans 67 features: 44 fiction films, 15 documentaries and eight animations.
Alongside Franz Kafka, the Polish co-productions are Zuza Banasińska’s Grandmamauntsistercat and Tereza Nvotová’s Ojciec (Father).
Franz Kafka, co-written by Holland and Marek Epstein, departs from a standard biopic.
The film is a mosaic of moments from the writer’s life—portraying him (played by Idan Weiss) as a child under a domineering father, a clerk bent over insurance files, and a charming yet fragile, neurotic loner whose literary ambitions elude his intimates.
The film premiered in September at the Toronto festival, and that month was selected as Poland’s candidate for the international feature Oscar.
Poland’s Oscar Committee praised Holland for showing Kafka not only as a literary icon but as a person wrestling with identity, fear and solitude, calling the work a modern, bold, artistically fulfilled portrait with growing international exposure.
European Film Awards nominations in categories including best film, director and screenplay will be announced on November 18 in Seville.
On November 26, the craft shortlists—for cinematography, music, costume, editing, sound, production design, makeup and hair, and casting direction—will follow.
The awards, first presented in 1988—when Poiand's Krzysztof Kieślowski won best film for A Short Film About Killing—are Europe’s top honors and last year recognized Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez in the main category.
(jh/gs)
Source: PAP