In the Best European Documentary category, "Smoke Sauna Sisterhood" is up against Lea Glob's "Apolonia, Apolonia," Kaouther Ben Hania's "Four Daughters," Hanna Badziaka and Alexander Mihalkovich's "Motherland," which will be screened at this year's Black Nights Film Festival,  and "On the Adamant," which won the Golden Bear at the 2023 Berlin International Film Festival. The latter is set for release in Estonian cinemas in November.

"Smoke Sauna Sisterhood" producer Marianne Ostrat was delighted to see the movie become the first Estonian documentary to receive a European Film Awards nomination.

 "It's great to see that 'Smoke Sauna Sisterhood' has become one of the most appreciated films of the year. The film is currently being released in cinemas in most European countries, and such an important nomination will hopefully help bring audiences to the cinema. In addition to awards, the biggest goal for every film is to reach as many people as possible."

The nominations are based on the votes of 4,600 members of the European Film Academy who have been watching the movies included in the annual Academy Selection. Now the Academy members are tasked with voting for the winning entries.

The European Film Academy is an initiative of a group of European filmmakers who came together in Berlin on the occasion of the first presentation of the European Film Awards in November 1988. Every year, the European Film Academy honors films and filmmakers with the European Film Award.

So far, "Smoke Sauna Sisterhood' has already won nine awards, the most recent of which was the FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Award at the Vienna International Film Festival.

The movie is Estonia's official entry for Best International Feature Film at the 96th Academy Awards (Oscars) and is also in the running for Best Documentary.

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