20/10/2021 - The Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event initiative has announced the names of a slew of young actors from the Baltic Sea region chosen to participate in this year’s programme

This year's Black Nights Stars

Bringing together renowned casting directors and emerging talent from the region, hopefully on the verge of breaking out internationally, the Black Nights Stars initiative has announced the names of eight young actors chosen by jurors Tusse Lande (casting director, Sweden), Piotr Bartuszek, (casting director, Poland), Mike Rosser (Screen International, UK), Raakel Huikuri (talent agent, Finland), Georg Georgi (talent agent, Germany) and Anu Aun (film director, Estonia).

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“Participating in Black Nights Stars gives the young actors an opportunity to get to know casting directors from all over Europe and the USA. It can become ‘that moment’ [for them],” said Bartuszek, noting that the event can be an important step in an actor’s career. The 2021 Black Nights Stars will take place as part of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event from 21-24 November.

Starting with Miika Pihlak and Doris Tislar from Estonia, Denmark’s Sandra Guldberg Kampp has also been chosen, recently seen in Jeanette Nordahl’s Wildland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jeanette Nordahl
film profile] and as a cover star of the Zurich Film Festival’s 2021 poster. Jan Hrynkiewicz, from Poland, has already appeared in the Oscar-nominated Corpus Christi [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bartosz Bielenia
interview: Jan Komasa
film profile], as well as the Swiss production Labyrinth of Peace by Mike Schaerer. Berlin-based Tua El-Fawwal (Germany) will be joined by ​​Viktoriya Miroshnichenko from Russia, who gained widespread acclaim thanks to Beanpole [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Kantemir Balagov, plus Kristina Morta Paškevičiūtė, from Lithuania. Finally, Finland’s Elias Westerberg will also get a chance to learn more about his craft, after having appeared in the likes of Aki Kaurismäki’s Silver Bear-winning The Other Side of Hope [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Aki Kaurismäki
film profile] and ​​Teemu Nikki’s series Mental.

“I’ve been absolutely amazed by the talent we have been introduced to during this journey and the event. It’s of great value to the film industry to discover these brilliant, unique and fresh artists,” noted Raakel Huikuri, also a jury member during previous years.

The young stars will get a chance to meet with mentors, casting directors and talent agents during the four-day event, which will also include workshops and panels, “all designed to enrich them with new skills, contacts and information”, Cineuropa found out.