Liv Ullmann to receive European Cinema Lifetime Achievement Award

The European Film Academy will honor Norwegian film legend Liv Ullmann with the European Lifetime Achievement Award at the 38th European Film Awards in recognition of her distinguished career as an actress, director and screenwriter.

Born in Tokyo and raised in Canada and Norway, Ullmann was a stage actress in Oslo before meeting Ingmar Bergman in the mid-1960s, kicking off one of the most creative and productive collaborations in film history. Ullmann’s performances in Bergman Character (1966), Shame (1968), Screams and whispers (1972), Scenes from a wedding (1974), Face to face (1976), and Autumn Sonata (1978) gained international fame and accolades. She is twice nominated for the Academy Awards, winning Best Actress nominations for her roles in Jan Troell’s film. The emigrants (1971) and Bergman Face to face – and received an honorary Oscar in 2022.

During her six-decade career, she also won just about every major European film honor, including the European Achievement in World Cinema Award, several David di Donatello awards, and the honorary Norwegian Amanda and Swedish Guldbagge awards. She has received lifetime achievement awards at festivals in Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Karlovy Vary and San Sebastian.

As a director, Ullmann made her debut with Sophie (1992), followed by Kristin Lavransdatter (1995), Private confessions (1996), Unfair (2000), and Miss Julie (2014).

Beyond her work in film, Ullmann is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador and co-founded the Women’s Refugee Commission, of which she remains honorary president. She will attend the European Film Awards ceremony in Berlin as a guest of honor on January 17, 2026, with the event being broadcast live on the European Film Academy website.