RUBEN OSTLUND’S “The Square,” a satire of the art world starring Claes Bang, Elisabeth Moss and Dominic West, is the big winner of this year’s European Film Awards (EFA), taking home honors for best film, best director, best comedy, best screenplay and best actor for Bang.

The Swedish director thanked the European Film Academy for awarding a film that, while dealing with serious issues, still strives to be entertaining.

“We wanted to say something important, but we also wanted it to be entertaining and exciting — I think it’s part of a European approach,” Ostlund said, citing Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann,” last year’s big winner at the European Film Awards, as the kind of “fun approach” he was going for.

Picking up his first award of the night for best screenplay, Ostlund thanked his actors, particularly Bang, who Ostlund said contributed many improvised lines to his script.

“The Square” premiered in Cannes this year, where it won the Palme d’Or for best film. Ostlund’s dramedy is also a front-runner for the foreign language Oscars, representing Sweden.

“On Body and Soul,” an off-beat love story set in an abattoir from Hungarian filmmaker Ildiko Enyedi, was considered a front-runner at this year’s EFA but, in the end, it only picked up one of the top honors, with Alexandra Borbely scooping the European Actress prize for her portrayal of a socially awkward woman who somehow manages to find love. “On Body and Soul” premiered at the Berlin Film Festival where it won the Golden Bear for best film. It is Hungary’s entry for the foreign language Oscar race.

“Communion,” from Polish director Anna Zamecka, nabbed the EFA for best non-fiction feature. The prize for best European Animation Feature Film went to Dorota Kobiela and Hugh Welchman for “Loving Vincent,” a painstakingly hand-painted biopic on the life and work of late painter Vincent van Gogh.

“Vincent Van Gogh was European, and because he was allowed to move freely, he became the artist that he was. We should keep borders open,” said Welchman in his acceptance speech.

Russian drama “Loveless” from director Andrey Zvyagintsev (Leviathan) picked up two EFA technical awards, which were announced earlier. Michail Krichman won the best European cinematographer honor and Evgueni and Sacha Galperine took the honor for European composer of the year. The drama follows a tense search for a missing child that reveals the pathologies at the heart of Russian society.

The European Discovery prize, given to a first-time filmmaker, went to British director William Oldroyd for “Lady Macbeth,” while legendary Russian director Aleksandr Sokurov (“Faust,” “Russian Ark”) received the EFA Lifetime Achievement Award, for his outstanding work in the field of directing, dramaturgy and cinematography.

The 30th European Film Awards were held Saturday at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele in Berlin. The winners were picked by the more than 3,000 members of the European Film Academy, made up of film professionals from across Europe.

(SD-Agencies)