Helen Mirren crowned Queen at European film awards

Dec 2, 2007, 11:18 GMT

Helen Mirren was crowned best actress at the 2007 European Film Awards on Saturday for her role as Britain\'s Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears\' The Queen. © Albert L. Ortega / PR Photos

Berlin - Helen Mirren was crowned best actress at the 2007 European Film Awards on Saturday for her role as Britain's Elizabeth II in Stephen Frears' The Queen.

At a star-studded ceremony in the German capital, the British star beat five rivals to add the Berlin honour to the Oscar and Venice Film Festival awards she won earlier in the year.

A total of 15 prizes were up for grabs at the 20th European Film Awards hosted by French actress Emmanuelle Beart and German actor Jan Josef Liefers.

Israeli Sasson Gabai was picked as best European actor for his role in The Band's Visit.

Italian director Giuseppe Tornatore's La Sconosciuta (The Unknown) won the People's Choice Award, while the European Film Academy's prize for the best short film of 2007 went to Alumbramiento by Spanish director Eduardo-Chapero Jackson.

Veteran actresses Jan Moreau and Liv Ullmann were present at the ceremony, along with German directors Wim Wenders and Volker Schloendorff.

German-Turkish director Fatih Akin won best screenwriter prize for The Edge of Heaven, which along with The Queen and The Last King of Scotland is among six movies in line for the European Film 2007 award.

Two French efforts, La Vie en Rose and the animated film Persepolis, are the others chasing best film title along with Romanian director Christian Mungiu's 4 months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, which takes a humane look at life under dictator Nicolae Ceausescu.

Akin, Frears and Mungiu are nominees for the 2007 European Director award, along with Tornatore, Roy Anderson (You, The Living) and Kevin Macdonald (The Last King of Scotland).

Jean-Luc Goddard, whose works include Breathless, Le Mepris (Contempt) and Pierrot Le Fou, was honoured in his absence with a Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his outstanding dedication to the cinema.

 Michael Ballhaus, one of the world's most successful cinematographers with credits that include Goodfellas, The Colour of Money and The Fabulous Baker Boys, was honoured with a European Achievement in World Cinema award.