Schlagwort-Archive: European Film Promotion

the 2025 european shooting stars: ten promising european talents with international appeal

European Film Promotion (EFP) is excited to announce the ten up-and-coming European acting talents selected for the 28th edition of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS. These exceptional talents will be presented to the international press, film industry, and public during the 75th Berlinale (13–23 February 2025). As part of this initiative, the actors will participate in a tailor-made, four-day programme—substantially supported by Creative Europe’s MEDIA Programme of the European Union—that will peak with the European Shooting Stars Awards Ceremony on 17 February 2025 at the Berlinale Palast.

The European Shooting Stars 2025 were selected by an international jury, comprised of Romanian director and screenwriter Radu Muntean, Swedish casting director Pauline Hansson, Swiss producer Amel Soudani, French actress and former Shooting Star Ludivine Sagnier and Montenegrin journalist and curator Vuk Perović. These five experts recognised the talents‘ remarkable potential for an international career, citing several factors, including their outstanding work in the feature films and drama series which were submitted for their nomination and which are noted in bold in their bios below. 

“Big thanks to the jury for their critical eye and for making this year’s selection. It was not an easy task, among so many excellent nominees. We are delighted to warmly welcome this exceptional group of emerging talents to the European Shooting Stars family. This year, we are thrilled to have Cyprus and Montenegro represented in the programme for the very first time. We are confident that all these dynamic forces will benefit from the programme, which we have been able to enhance with the support of our new partners: MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein and Hessen Film & Medien“ says Tina Hajon, programme director of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS.

Here are the European Shooting Stars 2025: Maria Makris (Cyprus), Besir Zeciri (Denmark), Maarja Johanna Mägi (Estonia), Devrim Lingnau (Germany), Elín Hall (Iceland), Kārlis Arnolds Avots (Latvia), Šarūnas Zenkevičius (Lithuania), Lidija Kordić (Montenegro), Vicente Wallenstein (Portugal) and Frida Gustavsson (Sweden). The quotes below are from the jury. 

Marina Makris is a well-known Cypriot performer, recently crowned Best Actress at the Cyprus Film Days International Festival, for her performance in Adonis Floridis’s compelling drama Africa Star (2024). The jury is attracted by her ‟Mediterranean magnetism” and honours Makris as a ‟brilliant, intelligent actress – she has an intense, profound look, and carries with her a womanly strength, as though she can carry the world on her shoulders.”

Born in Copenhagen and with Albanian heritage Besir Zeciri from Denmark reflects a new diverse wave of Scandinavian actor. Having once considered a career in the police force, Zeciri had his attentions diverted when joining a theatre company in 2009. From there his career has blossomed, culminating in a leading role in Magnus von Horn’s The Girl with the Needle (2024), which premiered at Cannes, and is Denmark’s official Oscar entry. The jury lauds his ‟real presence in the film which ensures the audience will struggle to forget him.”

Maarja Johanna Mägi is well-known to Estonian audiences, appealing to both adults and children on local television. She became known for her role in Elmo Nüganen’s film trilogy Melchior the Apothecary (2022), for which Mägi was awarded Best Film Actress at the Estonian Film Awards. The jury praised her versatility, especially in her latest film Aurora (2025): ‟She has so many faces, but you can see the disturbed character on each of them. Her role comes with religious rigidity, transpiring in her emancipation as she inspires a revolution inside her own family, and she portrays this with the strength of a hurricane.“

German actress Devrim Lingnau was born in Mannheim, to a Turkish father, and a German mother. Lingnau impressed in British horror flick Carmilla (2019) and she is also the face of The Emmy-winning Netflix drama series The Empress(2022), which won her the Best Newcomer award at the German Screen Actor Awards. Her next major role is in Mehmet Akif Büyükatalay’s thriller Hysteria (2025), in which, according to the jury, ‟she is so involved in the character and yet you don’t see any tools, or techniques, it’s as if she is living in the moment, like she hasn’t read a script, just embedded in the truth of the story.”

Born in Canada, Elín Hall from Iceland is a multi-talented performer, who straddles the line between music and film, with two albums already to her name, and a list of impressive screen credits. In Rúnar Rúnarsson’s When the Light Breaks(2024), which opened the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes 2024, she explores the complexity of grief: Hall ‟internalises the character and you’re drawn to her; you never get tired of her. She is carrying a secret in the film, and it’s like the viewer is her sole confidante“, as the five film experts concluded.

Latvian actor Kārlis Arnolds Avots is building a career with unique, challenging roles. Having starred in Viesturs Kairiss’s January (2022), which was submitted as Latvia’s official entry for the Academy Awards, it won Avots the Best Actor award at the Rome Film Festival in 2022. Beside further international recognition, with the actor taking home the top actor prize at Series Mania in Lille, for his performance in Soviet Jeans (2024) which also convinced the jury: ‟His performance (…) shows that he is equally as adept at comedy as he is tragedy, as he brings humour to the role, but he suffers a lot. He is energetic, and yet sensitive.”

The Lithuanian actor Šarūnas Zenkevičius has already starred in films at numerous international festivals: Frost (2017) premiered at Cannes, and The Flood Won’t Come (2020) in Venice. Other notable works include the short film I Was Max(2022) and his leading role in Ignas Jonynas’s Borderline (2025) where he plays a troubled ornithologist, who gets involved in smuggling. His performance has overwhelmed the jury: ‟While the intensity rises in the film, he keeps all that tension inside him, without bursting. It’s very easy to be melodramatic, which he avoids. Instead he contains all the energy, and he is like a bomb that is waiting to explode.”

Lidija Kordić from Montenegro started acting professionally while still studying at drama school. With a starring turn in Working Class Goes to Hell (2023) on home soil, to Turkish production Ataturk 1881-1919 (2023), Kordić can next be seen adorning the screen in Italian feature Diva Futura (2025). The jury considers Kordić courageous and praises her ‟charming and charismatic performance“ in this sumptuous period piece that sees the actress play the famous adult film star Cicciolina.

2024 was a good year for Portuguese actor Vicente Wallenstein having taken a starring role in Luis Filipe Rocha’s Your Face Will be the Last, which also allowed him to display his talents as a pianist. The jury recognises Wallenstein’s ‟richness of diverse characters and his distinct versatility‟ and lauds his performance ‟displaying the struggles and trauma within his character with a subtle sensitivity.“ Last year also saw Wallenstein appear in both Romagem, and After Dance – a Concert Film. He also enjoyed a shorter experience, on Paddington in Peru.

Frida Gustavsson hails from Sweden and belongs to the Bergmanian school of performance. This much is evident in her uniquely complex turn as Marieanne in drama series Faithless (2024), which is based on an original script by the legendary filmmaker, resulting in rave reviews since its premiere at TIFF. The jury, who characterises her as a ‟charismatic and magnetic performer‟ is also full of praise: ‟Even when doing nothing she is vibrant. Her performance in Faithless presents a difficult challenge, but she tackles the role with such subtlety, and intimacy. She uses minimalistic ways to express very strong feelings.” Other screen credits include supporting roles in major shows such as Vikings: Valhalla (2022), and Netflix’s The Witcher (2019). Gustavsson also impressed in Swedish Oscar-entry Tigers (2020), while her next project sees her share the screen with Joel Kinnaman, in Ice Fall (2025).

With a four-day intensive, customised programme, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS provides an international networking platform for the selected talent to meet international journalists, casting directors, producers and filmmakers while in Berlin. It offers a unique opportunity to create the professional network encouraging and strengthening the talents to embark on an international career. The programme culminates in a ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday 17 February, where each actress and actor will be honoured with the European Shooting Stars Award. 

Throughout its 28 years, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS has been an important stepping-stone for the selected talent’s international careers – notable Shooting Stars over the years include: Riz Ahmed (Relay, Fingernails,Encounter, Sound of Metal), Matilda de Angelis (Citadel: DianaAcross the River and Into the Trees, Atlas, The Undoing), Asta Kamma August (Families Like Ours), Suzy Bemba (Poor ThingsHomecoming), Leonie Benesch (The Teachers‘ Lounge), George MacKay (The EndThe Beast, Munich – The Edge of War, 1917), Carey Mulligan (SpacemanMaestro, She Said, The Dig, Promising Young Woman, The Great Gatsby), Benedetta Porcaroli (Immaculate), Alba Rohrwacher (MariaLa Chimera, Happy as Lazzaro), Bill Skarsgård (Boy Kills World,It, It Chapter 2), Vic Carmen Sonne (The Girl with the Needle), Anamaria Vartolomei (Le Comte de Monte-Cristo), Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (The Assessment, RumourFirebrand, Beckett, Tomb Raider) and Maisie Williams (The New LookGame of Thrones).

EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS is made possible thanks to the support of Creative Europe – the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media, the Berlin International Film Festival, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein, Hessen Film & Medien, Spotlight and Armani beauty, as well as the participating national film promotion institutes and film centres from the Shooting Stars’ countries (EFP’s member organisations): With special thanks to German Films, Danish Film Institute, Deputy Ministry of Culture (Cyprus), Estonian Film Institute, Film Centre of Montenegro, Icelandic Film Centre, Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual I.P. / ICA (Portugal), Lithuanian Film Centre, National Film Centre of Latvia and Swedish Film Institute. EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS’ main media partner is Variety, with additional media partners: Screen International, Cineuropa, Blickpunkt:Film, HeyUGuys and Festival Scope. 

EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2024. INVITATION: Sunday, 18 February 2024

The European Film Promotion (EFP) presents Europe‘s most promising up-and-coming acting talent during the Berlin International Film Festival‘s opening weekend with a series of profile-raising events, culminating in the annual European Shooting Stars Awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday evening, 19 February.

The EFP is delighted to invite you to the press presentation & interviews of the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS at the 74th Berlinale. 
 
Please find the official invitation here

Press presentation & interviews 
Date: Sunday, 18 February 2024
Location: Mövenpick Hotel, Room Enzian (Schöneberger Straße 3, 10963 Berlin) 

Schedule:
09:00am: Doors open / registration 
09:30am: Press presentationThe 10 European Stars of 2024 will be introduced in a talk hosted by producer, actor and presenter Tyron Ricketts.
10:45am: Photo call
11:00am: Individual press interviews
appr. 04:00pm: End of press interviews 

Deadline RSVP: Until Tuesday, 13 Februar 2024 to mail@steinbrennermueller.de

Please indicate in your RSVP mail:
– If you will be attending the press presentation (9.30am)
and/or
– If you would like to interview one (or more) of the Shooting Stars (from 11.00am). If so, please indicate which one(s). 

Here are the European Shooting Stars 2024: Thibaud Dooms (Belgium), Margarita Stoykova (Bulgaria), Suzy Bemba (France), Salome Demuria (Georgia), Katharina Stark (Germany), Éanna Hardwicke (Ireland), Valentina Bellè (Italy), Džiugas Grinys (Lithuania), Kamila Urzędowska (Poland) and Asta Kamma August (Sweden). For more information see below.

If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to contact us.

We are looking forward to meeting you in Berlin!


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The European Shooting Stars 2024:

Thibaud Dooms was cast in several short films before starring in the feature film Zeevonk (2023) which premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival. He plays the lead role of Liam in Koen Mortier‘s 2023 feature film Skunk, a Just Film Festival premiere where it won the Jury Prize. Next up, his own short God Lives in Texasin which he plays all male and female roles.

Margarita Stoykova was cast in her first lead role in Yana Titova‘s second feature Dyad (2023), which premiered in competition at Warsaw International Film Festival. Dyad won numerous awards, including, Grand Prix at Just Film Festival and 4 awards at Golden Rose Film Festival, including Best Film and the City of Varna Award for Margarita‘s performance.

Suzy Bemba’s breakthrough came, when she starred in Kandisha by director Alexandre Bustillo. Her 2023 appearances include Toinette in Yorgos Lanthimos‘ critically acclaimed film Poor Things, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Drift, a Sundance Film Festival 2023 premiere, and Homecoming which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival.

Salome Demuria’s debut was in the 2012 feature Seagull, for which she received several awards as Best Actress. Her credits include The Antique and House of Others, winner of the Golden Arena for Best Acting Performance at Pula International Film Festival. For Inhale-Exhale, Salome was honoured as Best Actress at Shanghai International Film Festival, Almaty Independent Film Festival and Minsk International Film Festival.

Katharina Stark has acted in films, TV and on stage, often at the award-winning theatre Münchner Kammerspiele. She’s had lead roles in Dead Girls Dancing (Tribeca Film Festival 2022), Sturm und Drang, the ARTE/ZDF episodic I am the greatest and the 2023 German Disney+ original The Interpreter of Silence. Next up is the lead role in Mathias Kreter’s debut feature film December Evening.

Éanna Hardwicke was cast in Vivarium (Cannes Critics’ Week 2019) while still studying at The Lir Academy. In 2023, he was named a Screen International Rising Star, nominated for Best Actor in a Lead Role for Lakelands, and performed in BBC1’s The Sixth Commandment. Currently he’s in The Doll Factory for Paramount+, and next up will be the series A Very Royal Scandal.

Valentina Bellè has appeared in several Taviani Brothers’ films including Wondrous Boccaccio and Rainbow: A Private Affair. She was in two competition films at the 2023 Venice Film Festival: Ferrari and Lubo. Her many TV roles include Genius with Antonio Banderas; George Clooney’s mini-series Catch-22; and The Good Mothers, directed by Julian Jarrold and Elisa Amoruso.

Džiugas Grinys has worked extensively on stage representing Lithuania in theatre festivals worldwide. On the big screen, his debut in a leading role was
in Ignas Miškinis’ Southern Chronicles. Further film credits include: Algimantas Puipa’s Cinephilia (2021); Kristijonas Vildžiūnas’ Songs for a Fox (2021); and most recently in Robertas Kuliūnas’ Aš Gyvas (2023).

Kamila Urzędowska’s debut was in the lead role in the series Żmijowisko directed by Łukasz Palkowski for Canal+. She went on to star in the award-winning film 25 Years of Innocence directed by Jan Holoubek. Her career took off when she was cast as the lead in The Peasants by DK Welchman and Hugh Welchman, Poland’s submission to the Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film

Asta Kamma August has worked with acclaimed directors Bille August (The Pact) and Lars von Trier (The Kingdom). In Burn All My Letters (2022) she shared the screen with former Shooting Stars Bill Skarsgård and Gustav Lindh. Most recently, she had the lead in the award-winning Kalak and The Hypnosis (Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2023). Next up: Thomas Vinterberg‘s series Families Like Ours.

For more information on the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2024 please click here

EFP European Film Promotion
www.efp-online.com

EFP (European Film Promotion) is an international network of film promotion institutes from 37 countries from throughout Europe, each representing their national films and talent abroad. Under the EFP flag, these organisations team up to jointly promote the diversity and spirit of European cinema and talent at key film festivals and markets, in particular outside of Europe.

the 2024 european shooting stars:  outstanding talent to discover worldwide

European Film Promotion (EFP) is delighted to announce the ten emerging European talents for the 27th edition of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS. From 16 – 19 February 2024, seven actresses and three actors will be presented to the international press, industry, and public in an exclusive four-day programme during the 74th Berlinale (15 – 25 February 2024), with major support by Creative Europe – the MEDIA Programme of the European Union. One of the programme’s many highlights will be the European Shooting Stars Awards Ceremony on 19 February 2024 at the Berlinale Palast.  

The 5-person international jury includes: Austrian director, screenwriter and producer Barbara Albert; Lithuanian producer Živilė Gallego; former Irish European Shooting Star Moe Dunford; British casting director Aisha Bywaters; and Greek Public Relations officer, senior writer and industry reporter at Cineuropa, Vassilis Economou. They have selected the ten exceptional talents, recognising their potential for an international career based on many factors, including their outstanding performance in the recent feature films and drama series which were submitted for their nomination (noted in bold in their bios below). 

“We are thrilled to present such a diverse selection of talented up-and-coming actors and actresses hailing from diverse cultural backgrounds and professional experiences. Many thanks to the Jury for taking on the challenge to spot this year’s nominees, and for embracing their international potential. We would also like to thank the European national film promotion institutes and film centres – our members – for putting forth so many stellar nominees and giving us the opportunity to continue to discover Europe’s diverse array of emerging acting talent!”, says Tina Hajon, programme director of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS. 

Here are the European Shooting Stars 2024: Thibaud Dooms (Belgium), Margarita Stoykova (Bulgaria), Suzy Bemba (France), Salome Demuria (Georgia), Katharina Stark (Germany), Éanna Hardwicke (Ireland), Valentina Bellè (Italy), Džiugas Grinys (Lithuania), Kamila Urzędowska (Poland) and Asta Kamma August (Sweden). The quotes below are from the jury.

Thibaud Dooms from Belgium is a graduate of the Academy of Theatre and Dance in Amsterdam and works in both theatre and film. The jury was impressed by his performance as Liam in Koen Motier’s feature filmSkunk: “His versatile and unique portrayal captures a character dealing with tragedy, blending sensitivity and intensity in a rare and captivating manner.”

Her first role in the feature film Dyad by Yana Titova earned the Bulgarian 18-year-old Margarita Stoykova accolades and awardsfour alone at the Golden Rose Film Festival, including Best Film and the City of Varna Award for her performance. The jury lauds her nuanced work which “showcases her fearlessness as an actress.” The youngest talent in this year’s Shooting Stars line-up “portrays a multifaceted character exceptionally well. Initially appearing unsympathetic, her character gradually reveals layers of fragility.”

French actress Suzy Bemba initially studied to become a surgeon, but then discovered a deep passion for cinema. She has appeared in films and series such as L’Opera, created by Cécile Ducrocq and Benjamin Adam, Poor Things by Yorgos Lanthimos and Drift by Anthony Chen. Her performance in the nominated film Homecoming by Catherine Corsini, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival deeply touched the jury. “Bemba’s subtle acting style draws viewers into her character’s journey. She navigates the delicate nuances of her struggles, leaving a lasting impact with her stunning performance.”

Solome Demuria is a well-known actress in her home country of Georgia. She made her debut in 2012 with the Spanish-Georgian co-production Seagull. Solome was honoured as best actress at the Shanghai International Film Festival, the Almaty Independent Film Festival and the Minsk International Film Festival for her role in Dito Tsintsadze’s Inhale-Exhale. In the nominated film The Antique by Rusudan Glurjidze she won over the jury “with her subtle yet powerful portrayal. Solome expertly navigates the character’s emotional journey with a genuinely heartbreaking performance.”

German actress Katharina Stark is a graduate of the renowned Otto Falckenberg School in Munich. Throughout her studies, she appeared in numerous television shows, films (such as Anna Roller’s feature film Dead Girls Dancing) and plays, often on stage at the award-winning Theatre Münchner Kammerspiele. Katharina is currently starring as the Polish interpreter Eva Bruhns in the German Disney+ original mini-series The Interpreter of Silence, based on the novel by Annette Hess, directed by Isabel Prahl and Randa Chahoud. The jury is full of praise: “… Katharina executes an emotionally charged and demanding role with ease. Her character’s depth is conveyed through a performance that is both understated and compelling.”

Immediately after graduating from the The Lír Academy in Dublin, Irish actor Éanna Hardwicke plunged into the film world and starred alongside Jesse Eisenberg in the feature film Vivarium; with Seána Kerslake and Ayoola Smart in the TV series Smother; and with Isabel Huppert in Laurent Lariviere’s feature film Joan Verra.For his role as a Gaelic footballer in the nominated film Lakelands directed by Robert Higgins and Patrick McGivney, the jury recognises Éanna’s “star quality” and lauds his performance which is “nothing short of gripping, skilfully revealing layers of sensitivity beneath a seemingly tough exterior.”   

The Italian actress Valentina Bellè starred in two competition films at the Venice Festival this year: Michael Mann’s Ferrari and Lubo by Giorgio Diritti. She plays the leading role in the award-winning and highly acclaimed Disney + series The Good Mother, for which she won the Italian Nastro D’Argento award for supporting actress in 2023. The jury is impressed with her performance in which she “steals the spotlight as the audience follows her journey and roots for her throughout this tense drama.”  

With his Theatre Art degree in hand, Lithuanian born Džiugas Grinys embarked on a wide-ranging stage career over a five-year period. He also proved his on-screen skills in supporting roles in films by Robertas Kuliūnas (As Gyvas, 2023), Algimantas Puipa (Cinephilia, 2021) and Kristijonas Vildžiūnas (Songs for a Fox, 2021). Džiugas successfully made the leap to the big screen with his first leading role in Southern Chronicles. As the jury declares: “In this heartfelt performance Džiugas showcases a promising future in the world of cinema.”

Polish actress Kamila Urzędowska played her first leading role in the Canal + series Zmijowisko by Lukasz Palkowski. For her performance in the Polish Academy Award entry as Best International Feature Film, The Peasants by DK Welchmann and Hugh Welchmann, she was honoured with the Crystal Star Elle and the Chopard Loves Cinema Acting Debut Award at the 48th Polish Film Festival in Gdynia. The jury is deeply impressed by her performance “that is nothing short of revelatory. Kamila is a versatile talent, bringing this character to life with her innocence and tenacity.”

Graduating from The Danish National School of Performing Arts in 2017, Swedish actress Asta Kamma August swiftly gained recognition for her performances in a variety of cinematic and television productions. Her recent projects include leading roles in Kalak helmed by Isabella Eklöf which premiered and won two awards at San Sebastian Film Festival and The Hypnosis, directed by Ernst de Geer which premiered at Karlovy Vary International Film Festival in 2023. In this nominated film the jury is thrilled by “her enigmatic portrayal of a woman on the verge of a crisis which makes for a thrilling journey. You never know what she will do next.”

With a four-day intensive bespoke programme, Actors Industry Network, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS provides an international networking platform for the selected talent to meet journalists, casting directors, producers and filmmakers in Berlin. It offers a unique opportunity to create the professional network needed for the actors to embark on an international career. The programme culminates in a glamourous awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday 19 February, where each actress and actor will be honored with the European Shooting Stars Award. 

Throughout its 27 years, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS has been an important stepping-stone for the selected talent’s international careers – notable Shooting Stars over the years include: Matilda de Angelis (Across the River and Into the TreesAtlasThe Undoing), Bill Skarsgård (Boy Kills World, ItIt Chapter 2), Carey Mulligan (MaestroShe SaidThe DigPromising Young WomanThe Great Gatsby), Alba Rohrwacher (La chimeraHappy as Lazzaro), Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (FirebrandBeckettTomb Raider), Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Riz Ahmed (Fingernails, EncounterSound of MetalRogue One: A Star Wars StoryMogul Mowgli), George MacKay (The Beast, Munich – The Edge of War1917), Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front), Louis Hofmann (The Forger) and Leonie Benesch (The Teachers‘ Lounge). 

EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS is made possible thanks to the support of Creative Europe – the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media, the Berlin International Film Festival, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Spotlight, as well as the national film promotion institutes and film centres from the Shooting Stars’ home countries (EFP’s member organisations): With special thanks to German Films, Bulgarian National Film Center, Cinecittà (Italy), Flanders Image, Georgian National Film Center, Lithuanian Film Centre, Polish Film Institute, Unifrance, Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann and Swedish Film Institute. The programme’s industry partner is the International Casting Directors Association (ICDA). EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS’ main media partner is Variety, with additional media partners: Screen International, Cineuropa, Blickpunkt:Film, HeyUGuys and Festival Scope.  

For more information on the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2024 please click here

European Shooting Stars: celebrating acting and european spirit

Coming to Berlin from all over Europe the  group of ten outstanding acting talents finally arrived today to start their busy days in Germany‘s capital.

Their tailor-made schedule of events include industry panels and meetings with casting directors, the international press, the jury and producers. Presented during the Berlin International Film Festival, the 26th edition of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS culminates in a glamourous awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday 20 February, where each actress and actor will be honoured with the European Shooting Stars Award.

The European Shooting Stars 2023 are: Joely Mbundu (Belgium), Alina Tomnikov (Finland), Leonie Benesch (Germany), Thorvaldur Kristjansson (Iceland), Benedetta Porcaroli (Italy), Yannick Jozefzoon(The Netherlands), Kristine Kujath Thorp (Norway), Judith State (Romania), Gizem Erdogan (Sweden) and Kayije Kagame (Switzerland).

Throughout its 25 plus years, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS has been an important stepping-stone for the selected talent’s international careers – notable Shooting Stars of recent years include: Matilda de Angelis (AtlasThe Undoing), Bill Skarsgård (ItIt Chapter 2), Carey Mulligan (She SaidThe DigPromising Young WomanThe Great Gatsby), Alba Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro), Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (BeckettTomb Raider), Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Riz Ahmed (EncounterSound of MetalRogue One: A Star Wars StoryMogul Mowgli), George MacKay (Munich – The Edge of War1917), Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front) and Louis Hofmann (The Forger).

EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS is made possible thanks to the support of Creative Europe – the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Spotlight, as well as the participating national film promotion institutes and film centres from the Shooting Stars’ countries (EFP’s member organisations): With special thanks to German Films, Cinecittà (Italy), Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Centre, Norwegian Film Institute, Romanian Film Development, SEE NL (The Netherlands), Swedish Film Institute, SWISS FILMS and Wallonie Bruxelles Images (Belgium).

EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS’ main media partner is Variety, with additional media partners: Screen International, Cineuropa, Blickpunkt:Film, HeyUGuys and Festival Scope as as well as International Casting Directors Association, who is partner of Actors Industry Network

On the picture f.l.t.r.: Benedetta Porcaroli (Italy),Yannick Jozefzoon (The Netherlands), Thorvaldur Kristjansson (Iceland), Kristine Kujath Thorp (Norway), Joely Mbundu (Belgium), Kayije Kagame (Switzerland), Alina Tomnikov (Finland), Judith State (Romania), Leonie Benesch (Germany) and Gizem Erdogan (Sweden)/Photo: Harald Fuhr

The ten selected Shooting Stars 2023

European Film Promotion (EFP) is delighted to announce the up-and-coming acting talent who have been selected for the next edition of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS. They will be introduced to the international press, film industry and the audience during the 73rd Berlinale. The four-day tailormade promotion and networking programme (running 17 – 20 February 2023) is capped off with a celebration of the talent at an Awards Ceremony at the Berlinale Palast. 

The European Shooting Stars 2023  — including eight women and two men — were selected from a pool of 27 nominees by an international jury, comprised of Polish director Jan Komasa, Dutch casting director Rebecca van Unen, Norwegian producer Maria Ekerhovd, Variety’s international features editor Leo Barraclough from the UK and former Spanish Shooting Star Veronica Echegui. These five experts recognised the talents‘ remarkable potential for an international career based on several factors, including their stellar work in the feature films and drama series which were submitted for their nomination (and which are noted in bold in their bios below).

“We are very grateful to the national promotion and film institutes who gave us the opportunity to discover their countries‘ emerging talent and to the jury who faced a true challenge in selecting the 10 best from such a strong group of nominees. We are very pleased to present their selection of European Shooting Stars 2023 which is characterised by diversity in age, experience and cultural backgrounds but united in its representation of exceptional acting talent. They are all truly ready for international discovery”, says Tina Hajon, programme director of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS.

The European Shooting Stars 2023: Joely Mbundu (Belgium), Alina Tomnikov (Finland), Leonie Benesch (Germany), Thorvaldur Kristjansson (Iceland), Benedetta Porcaroli (Italy), Yannick Jozefzoon (The Netherlands), Kristine Kujath Thorp (Norway), Judith State (Romania), Gizem Erdogan (Sweden) and Kayije Kagame (Switzerland). The quotes below are from the jury.

Newcomer Joely Mbundu from Belgium excelled as Lokita in the 2022 Cannes entry Tori and Lokita by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne. It is the first leading role for the 18-year-old actress, who is the youngest in this year’s Shooting Stars line-up. The jury was impressed by “her emotional intensity” which serves the film so well…she mixes a strength of personality with an openness and vulnerability that moves the audience.”

Finnish actress Alina Tomnikov is known for her leading role in the critically acclaimed and multi-award winning short film, Rabobesto, directed by Mari Mantela based on Alina’s original idea. She starred in the Sky Original drama series Funeral For a Dog alongside former German Shooting Star Albrecht Schuch and played the lead in Pamela Tola’s feature film, The Worst Idea Ever, which is due for its release in early 2023. The jury lauds her ”playfulness and fragility” and how ”her character grabs the audience by the lapels, and compels them to fall in love with her.”

German actress Leonie Benesch played Eva in Michael Haneke’s The White Ribbon when she was 18 and was hailed as a discovery. In 2018 she received the German Actor’s Award for her role as Greta in the German series Babylon Berlin. Leonie’s most recent role is the lead in Ilker Çatak’s The Teachers’ Lounge, to be released in 2023. The jury was delighted by her performance as an idealistic teacher who is battling to solve a dilemma, while resisting institutional pressure to compromise: “She shows a nobility and sincerity of character that transcends the everyday setting of the school, while keeping the audience guessing as to what will happen next.”

From the first moment Iceland’s Thorvaldur Kristjansson appears on screen in Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir’s A Letter From Helga, “he emanates charisma and completely inhabits the role of a love-sick farmer”. This is the jury’s verdict on Iceland’s Shooting Star, who is a celebrated and award-winning film and theatre actor in his home country. Trained at The Juilliard School’s Drama Division in New York, Thorvadur’s credits include Black’s Game, The Minister and I Remember You.

Benedetta Porcaroli from Italy ”carries Carolina Cavalli’s quirky comedic Amanda with great assurance, as well as transmitting a high temperature that keeps the film at fever pitch”. Although Benedetta is an emerging actress, ”she emanates a strong personality and a particular way of looking at the world”. Her debut on the big screen was in 2015 in Perfect Strangers, which was quickly followed with roles in critically acclaimed films such as The Catholic School7 Women and a Murder and the Netflix seriesBaby.

Yannick Jozefzoon from The Netherlands was nominated for his second Golden Calf in 2022 for his leading role as an expectant father in Femi directed by Dwight Fagbamila. Yannick began acting in 2002 with the theatre group DNA and appeared in several film and television productions such as Amsterdam Vice, Hollands Hoop and Geldwolven. The jury was enthusiastic about Yannick’s “display of a raw yet controlled energy combined with a sensitivity in Femi…He brings an intense conviction to the role, perfectly expressing the inner turmoil of the young man.”

Norwegian actress Kristine Kujath Thorp is known for movies and drama series such as Fanny, The Burning Sea and Ninjababy, for which she won the Amanda Award as best actress in 2021. In Sick of Myself by Kristoffer Borgli, which premiered in Un Certain Regard in Cannes 2022, Kristine plays a young woman, Signe, who wants to attract people’s attention by any means necessary. The jury is deeply impressed by her performance: “There are many nuances to this multi-layered film, which is satirical and dramatic, and she navigates it with verve. Her character undergoes a radical change in appearance, which made the role even harder to pull off.”

Judith State is a professional dancer and discovered acting later in life, working with prominent Romanian directors. She won the Gopo Award for her leading role in Marius Olteanu’s debut, Monsters. Judith has also been in films such as Sieranevada, Malmkrog,The Father Who Moves Mountains and Refuge as well as R.M.N. by Cristian Mungiu, for which she was nominated as a Shooting Star. The jury extoled her performance in the film: “She exhibits a natural ability and a strong presence…bringing an authenticity and charm to the role…She is very much in the moment, and is able to reach through the screen to move the audience.”

The jury believes Swedish actress Gizem Erdogan “has the charisma and ability to make an impact in the international films arena.” Gizem is already well known for her roles in hit drama series and films such as CaliphateDream On, and Love and Anarchy and stars in the Netflix’s series The Playlist as an architect of the Swedish music app Spotify.

With the role of Rama in the Venice award-winning film Saint Omer by Alice Diop, Swiss artist Kayije Kagame makes her highly acclaimed feature film debut as an actress. The jury was persuaded by her portrayal of a novelist whose convictions are shaken by a traumatic court case. In the role, she relies heavily on body language and facial expression “creating a special aura that is mesmerising and holds the gaze of the viewer in every scene”.

With a four-day intensive customised programme, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS provides an international networking platform for the selected talent to meet journalists, casting directors, producers and filmmakers in Berlin. It offers a unique opportunity to create the professional network needed for the talent to embark on an international career. The programme culminates in a glamourous awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday 20 February, where each actress and actor will be honoured with the European Shooting Stars Award.

Throughout its 25 plus years, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS has been an important stepping-stone for the selected talent’s international careers – notable Shooting Stars of recent years include: Matilda de Angelis (AtlasThe Undoing), Bill Skarsgård (ItIt Chapter 2), Carey Mulligan (She SaidThe DigPromising Young WomanThe Great Gatsby), Alba Rohrwacher (Happy as Lazzaro), Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (BeckettTomb Raider), Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Riz Ahmed (EncounterSound of MetalRogue One: A Star Wars StoryMogul Mowgli), George MacKay (Munich – The Edge of War1917), Daniel Brühl (All Quiet on the Western Front) and Louis Hofmann (The Forger).

EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS is made possible thanks to the support of Creative Europe – the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the German Federal Commissioner for Culture and Media, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Spotlight, as well as the participating national film promotion institutes and film centres from the Shooting Stars’ countries (EFP’s member organisations): With special thanks to German Films, Cinecittà (Italy), Finnish Film Foundation, Icelandic Film Centre, Norwegian Film Institute, Romanian Film Development, SEE NL (The Netherlands), Swedish Film Institute, SWISS FILMS and Wallonie Bruxelles Images (Belgium).

EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS’ main media partner is Variety, with additional media partners: Screen International, Cineuropa, Blickpunkt:Film, HeyUGuys and Festival Scope.

For more information on the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2023 please click here