14/12/2022 - Ten of the most promising up-and-coming actors and actresses from Europe have been selected to participate in special events at the upcoming Berlinale in February

EFP (European Film Promotion) has announced 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 Berlin International Film Festival. 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 eight actresses and two actors were selected from a pool of 27 nominees by an international jury made of five experts (read news) who recognised the talents' remarkable potential for an international career.

"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).

Newcomer Joely Mbundu from Belgium excelled as Lokita in the 2022 Cannes entry Tori and Lokita [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Joely Mbundu
interview: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne
film profile] by Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne, the first leading role for the 18-year-old actress, who is the youngest in this year's Shooting Stars line-up.

Finnish actress Alina Tomnikov is known for her leading role in the multi-award winning short film, Rabobesto, directed by Mari Mantela and based on Alina's original idea. She is playing the lead in Pamela Tola's feature film The Worst Idea Ever [+see also:
interview: Alina Tomnikov
film profile], which is due for its release in early 2023.

German actress Leonie Benesch played Eva in Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michael Haneke
film profile] and in 2018 she received the German Actor's Award for her role in the series Babylon Berlin. Leonie's most recent role is the lead in Ilker Çatak's The Teachers' Lounge [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: İlker Çatak
interview: Leonie Benesch
film profile], to be released in 2023.

Already a celebrated and award-winning film and theatre actor in his home country, Iceland's Thorvaldur Kristjansson appears on screen in ­Helga Hjörleifsdóttir's recent A Letter From Helga [+see also:
trailer
interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile], and his credits also include Life in a Fishbowl [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and The Swan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ása Helga Hjörleifsdóttir
interview: Thorvaldur Kristjánsson
film profile].

Italy's Benedetta Porcaroli stars in Carolina Cavalli's quirky comedy Amanda [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Benedetta Porcaroli
film profile], after having debuted on the big screen was in 2015 in Perfect Strangers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which was quickly followed with roles in critically acclaimed films such as The Catholic School [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stefano Mordini
film profile], 7 [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] Women and a Murder [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and the Netflix series Baby.

Yannick Jozefzoon from The Netherlands was nominated for his second Golden Calf in 2022 for his leading role as an expectant father in Femi [+see also:
interview: Yannick Jozefzoon
film profile] 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.

Norwegian actress Kristine Kujath Thorp is known for movies and series such as Fanny, The Burning Sea and Yngvild Sve Flikke's Ninjababy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristine Kujath Thorp
interview: Yngvild Sve Flikke
film profile], for which she won the Amanda Award as best actress in 2021. In Sick of Myself [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristine Kujath Thorp
interview: Kristoffer Borgli
film profile] by Kristoffer Borgli, which premiered in Cannes' Un Certain Regard this year, Kristine plays a young woman, who wants to attract people's attention by any means necessary.

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. [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marius Olteanu
film profile] Judith has also been in films such as Sieranevada [+see also:
film review
trailer
Q&A: Cristi Puiu
film profile], Malmkrog [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristi Puiu
film profile] and The Father Who Moves Mountains [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Judith State
film profile] as well as R.M.N. [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Cristian Mungiu
interview: Judith State
film profile] by Cristian Mungiu, premiered in Cannes this year.

Swedish actress Gizem Erdogan is already well known for her roles in hit drama series and films such as Caliphate [+see also:
interview: Gizem Erdogan
series profile], Love and Anarchy [+see also:
series review
interview: Gizem Erdogan
interview: Lisa Langseth
series profile] and Beyond Dreams [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Evin Ahmad
film profile], and will star in the Netflix 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 [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alice Diop
interview: Kayije Kagame
film profile] by Alice Diop, Swiss actress Kayije Kagame made her highly acclaimed feature film debut as an actress, with a portrayal of a novelist whose convictions are shaken by a traumatic court case.

Read more about each European Shooting Star and the full events programme here, and stay tuned to watch our interviews with all of them.