It's no surprise, but Germany's foreign-film entry at the Academy Awards, "The Lives of Others," and Spanish entry "Volver" swept the European Film Awards.

Since both are likely Oscar nominees, it's interesting to see how they fared at Europe's equivalent to the Academy Awards where they started out tied with six nominations each. Members of the European Film Academy chose "Lives" as best picture, but "Volver" won the separate Peoples' Choice Award for best pic. "Lives" also won best actor (Ulrich Muhe), but its first-time filmmaker Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck had to settle on the consolation screenplay prize, losing the directors' trophy to "Volver" veteran Pedro Almodovar. "Volver" also won best actress (Penelope Cruz), music composition and cinematography, so, technically, it scored the most trophies.

Recently, "Lives" swept Germany's version of the Oscars — the Lolas — nabbing seven awards, including best picture, director, actor and screenplay.

U.S. distributor Sony Pictures Classics believes so strongly in "Lives" as a contender at Hollywood's Oscars beyond just the foreign-film slot that it's opening it in L.A. and N.Y. theaters to qualify in other categories.

For the first time ever, the European Film Awards ceremony was held in an Eastern European city — Warsaw — and used the occasion to salute Polish-born filmmaker Roman Polanski with a special honorary award. To see the full list of winners, CLICK HERE!

Photo: Best actor champ Ulrich Muhe portrays an East German communist spy in 1984 "immaculately," said the L.A. Times, as "a humorless automaton, a Jesuitical ascetic with cold eyes and an unswerving true believer's faith in the system he has sworn to defend against 'enemies of socialism' no matter where he finds them."
(Sony Pictures Classics)