Just one month after the end of the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS talent programme during this year's Berlinale, European Film Promotion (EFP) is pleased to announce that the Bulgarian actress Margarita Stoykova will be represented by the British talent agency Olivia Bell Management.
At the age of 18, Margarita Stoykova was the youngest participant of this year's edition and signed the contract with the London-based Olivia Bell agency on 15 March, 2024. EFP had invited representatives from selected talent agencies to meet those actors and actresses who didn’t yet have an agent during the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS programme.
“Margarita gave such an incredible and startling performance in Dyad, especially for a debut role. She really deserved her place amongst the European Shooting Stars this year and it gives her such a platform. We loved that she chose to join Olivia Bell and it is a real honour to now support and develop her career in the next stages. Margarita is a rare talent!", Robin Hudson and Xania Segal from Olivia Bell declare.
Margarita Stoykova is also delighted about the new collaboration: “I was so excited to be a part of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2024. This was such an amazing experience! Many, many things happened to me in Berlin and I feel so many emotions. I was a little bit scared about what was going to happen after the Berlinale, but I didn't have much time to wonder because Olivia Bell appeared in my life. My dream agency. They are my path. And I know we will do remarkable things together. I can't wait for our adventure!"
“We are very happy for Margarita", says Tina Hajon, programme director of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS. “It is exactly what we want: not only to introduce ten of the most talented and promising talents to the press and the industry through our programme, but also to prepare them for their careers with a long-term perspective. This is a really fantastic outcome of our programme."
With a four-day intensive bespoke programme, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS provides an international networking platform for ten selected acting talents 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 where each actress and actor is presented with the European Shooting Stars Award.
Apart from Margarita Stoykova from Bulgaria, the following actresses and actors also took part in this year‘s programme: Thibaud Dooms (Belgium), 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).
EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2024 was 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.