Promoting a selection of the best upcoming European acting talent worldwide would not be possible without the support of numerous partners. EFP European Film Promotion would like to thank all of them.
EFP is offering ten selected up-and-coming talents an intensive, tailor-made programme to meet journalists, casting directors, producers and filmmakers during the 75th Berlin International Film Festival. The four-day programme (14 - 17 February 2025) provides a unique opportunity to build up a professional network the ten talents need to launch their international careers, closing with the European Shooting Stars Awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast. All this is made possible by the generous and invaluable support of the dedicated partners of the programme:
MAIN PARTNER
Ever since the start of the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS programme, Creative Europe - MEDIA Programm of the European Union has financially supported the development, distribution and promotion of European films as well as the audiovisual industry. MEDIA has been a crucial partner in making EFP’s flagship initiative happen. Thanks to this unwavering commitment, the programme has evolved into a significant industry event that brings together talent, casting directors, filmmakers and producers.
EVENT PARTNERS
The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM), which provides national funding for arts and culture in Germany, and German Films, have been essential partners in developing EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS and its Actors Industry Network over the years. As a national information and advisory center for the worldwide promotion of German films and German filmmakers, German Films is aware of the importance of such international programmes. In recent years, participation in the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS programme has been a major milestone in the successful international career for numerous German actors.
The Berlin International Film Festival is one of the largest public film festivals in the world, attracting tens of thousands of visitors from around the globe each year. For the film industry and the media, the eleven days in February are also one of the most important events in the annual calendar and an indispensable trading forum. From the very beginning of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS, the Berlinale provides the stage and worldwide publicity for the ten up-and-coming talents.
CUPRA is the unconventional challenger brand that brings together emotion, electrification, and performance to inspire the world from Barcelona. Launched in 2018, the brand offers a portfolio of seven models, including fully electric and electrified cars. Starting in 2025, CUPRA will partner with European Film Promotion to present the European Shooting Stars Awards, proudly supporting promising acting talent from across Europe.
As one of the most influential German regional film funding organisations the Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg has been a trusted and passionate supporter of the programme from the start. In addition to their important financial commitment, the institution welcomes the European Shooting Stars at its annual reception giving their promotion an additional boost and consideration.
MOIN Film Fund Hamburg Schleswig-Holstein happily supports the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS programme as it shares the same home base: Hamburg, a city known for fostering international talent and creative exchange. The regional film fund promotes cinema films, high-end series and innovative audiovisual formats – from first draft to production, distribution, and festival presentation. Its focus is to develop the regional audio-visual industries in Northern Germany. MOIN welcomes filmmakers from around the globe to film in their region between the North and the Baltic Seas.
Hessen Film & Medien is the first point of contact for film funding in Hessen. It promotes artistic and commercial quality in film and series productions with flexible, progressive funding tools, emphasizing diversity, sustainability, and artistic boldness. As a new partner of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS, Hessen Film & Medien is proud to champion emerging European talent by contributing to the programme’s mission of spotlighting the continent's most promising actors. Through its involvement, Hessen Film & Medien underlines its commitment to fostering international collaboration and diversity in the film industry.
Spotlight & Filmmakers, Europe’s leading casting and selection systems, are delighted to support European talent and the EFP Shooting Stars programme. Based in London since 1927, Spotlight is the Home of Casting and a member of the Talent Systems family. Based in Germany, Filmmakers.eu is Europe’s go-to platform for industry professionals across all 27 EU member states. Together Spotlight & Filmmakers provide an innovative software landscape for performers, agents and casting directors.
For over 20 years, Armani beauty has been delivering beautifully textured make-up, skincare formulated from the most pioneering science, alongside fragrances created with the rarest ingredients. Inspired by real people and their needs, the make-up line is created to enhance natural beauty, revealing rather than hiding. Armani beauty collaboration with the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS keeps enhancing the relationship the brand has with the world of filmmaking and comes as a celebration of Giorgio Armani’s life-long love of the cinema.
MAIN MEDIA PARTNER
Variety has presented the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS to the international film industry since 2010. The publication has been the seminal voice of the entertainment industry for more than 120 years and counting and is the trusted source for the business of global entertainment. Read by a highly engaged audience of industry insiders, Variety’s multi-platform content coverage expands across digital, mobile, social, print, and branded events and summits.
MEDIA PARTNERS
EFP also wishes to thank Screen International, Cineuropa and Blickpunkt:Film for their longstanding support of the initiative.Our thanks also goes to the online platform partners HeyUGuys and FestivalScope.
INDUSTRY PARTNERS
The International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) has played a crucial role in building up the Actors Industry Network. The ICDA is a professional Association and a proud partner of the EFP's AIN events, counting 124 members from 34 countries from all around the world. ICDA members are casting directors all working internationally, who have an organic and sustainable interest in meeting the European Shooting Stars and consider them for their future castings. Around 40 ICDA members will attend this year's Shooting Stars events.
The Casting Society was founded in February of 1982 with the intention of establishing a recognized standard of professionalism in the casting field and providing its members with a support organization to further their goals and protect their common interests. Boasting approximately 1200 members, CSA professionals work globally, often in tandem with fellow members based in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, Asia and Africa. In recognition of its expanding presence around the world, the European chapter was renamed “Global Chapter" in 2024. CSA's relationship with EFP’s EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS programme has grown closer over the years. In 2025, CSA is proud to officially collaborate on the Actors Industry Network events within the programme.
PARTICIPATING NATIONAL FILM PROMOTION INSTITUTES AND FILM CENTRES
EFP would like to express a special thanks to the national film promotion institutes and film centres from the Shooting Stars’ countries (EFP’s member organisations): Danish Film Institute, Deputy Ministry of Culture (Cyprus), Estonian Film Institute, Film Centre of Montenegro, German Films, 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. Only their nominations made it possible to discover the up-and-coming talents of their respective countries.
