Berlin rolls out the red carpet for the European Film Awards

Every year since 1988, the European Film Academy (EFA) puts out a list of about 40 feature films that warrant a nomination. The EFA's roughly 3,000 members first vote on these nominations, and in a second round of voting, they decide on the winners in 21 categories.

The European Film Awards ceremony is modeled on the famous Academy Awards ceremony in the US. But even if a good crowd of film buffs is bound to be jostling to catch a glimpse of the actors on the red carpet in Berlin on Saturday, December 12, film stars just aren't hyped in Europe as much as they are in the US, where Oscars Night routinely draws more than 40 million TV viewers.

Click through the gallery above to discover some of this year's top contenders.