Women directors are often underrepresented on the festival circuit in Europe — at Cannes and Venice in particular — but films helmed by women didn’t escape the notice of the European Film Academy (EFA) this year. Nominees for the European Discovery 2019 – Prix FIPRESCI have been announced. Presented annually as part of the European Film Awards, the award recognizes a director for their first full-length feature film. Of six films in the running, four are directed or co-directed by women.

Nominees this year include “Atantics,” Mati Diop’s drama about star-crossed lovers set against the backdrop of the refugee crisis, and Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja’s “Aniara,” a sci-fi story that follows a spaceship as it travels to Mars.

Tuva Novotny’s “Blind Spot,” a portrait of a family in the wake of a tragedy, and Nadejda Koseva’s “Irina,” a drama about a waitress who becomes a surrogate mother to make ends meet, are also among the nominees.

More than 3,600 EFA members will vote to elect the winner of the European Discovery 2019 – Prix FIPRESCI award. The EFA Awards are slated to take place December 7 in Berlin.