where careers take flight: europe’s outstanding acting talents of 2026

EFP European Film Promotion is thrilled to announce the ten emerging acting talents selected for the 29th edition of the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS. As part of the prestigious initiative, supported by Creative Europe’s MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the ten winners will be presented to the film industry, the international press and the public during the 76th Berlin International Film Festival, running from the 12–22 February 2026.

“This is a truly remarkable group of talents, selected by our jury from an exceptionally strong field of nominees,” says Tina Hajon, the programme director of EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS. “They represent some of the most exciting new voices Europe has to offer. We are deeply grateful to the jury for their dedication and for recognising the potential of these actors at such a crucial moment in their artistic journey. EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS remains an essential platform for highlighting the diversity of European storytelling, while giving emerging talents the international visibility they need to grow and flourish on a global stage.”

This year’s Shooting Stars were selected by an international jury consisting of Danish actress Danica Ćurčić and Bosnian film director and Academy Award winner Danis Tanović. Portuguese casting director Jo Monteiro, Belgian producer Jacques-Henri Bronckart, and British-Sudanese critic and writer Leila Latif completed the impressive line-up.

The jury highlighted the ten actors’ strong work, their artistic range and their clear potential to succeed on an international level. The selection was based on standout performances in the films and drama series submitted for consideration, which are marked in bold in the biographies below.

The European Shooting Stars 2026 are: Fatlume Bunjaku (Albania), Lucas Englander (Austria), Violet Braeckman (Belgium), Salif Cissé (France), Enno Trebs (Germany), Danielle Galligan (Ireland), Tecla Insolia (Italy), Joes Brauers (The Netherlands), Sofia Tjelta Sydness (Norway) and Cleo Diára (Portugal).

Kosovan-Albanian actress Fatlume Bunjaku combines artistic versatility, academic depth with a parallel career in music. Since her debut in 2013, she has steadily built an impressive portfolio, from winning Best Actress at the Nine Eleven Film Festival to her striking turn in Ujkan Hysaj’s Hana (2025). In addition to her screen work, she is deeply committed to inclusive arts education, teaching performing arts and holding a master’s degree in children’s theatre. According to the five film experts of the jury, she “leaves an indelible mark on the viewer,” demonstrating a “commanding screen presence, complete with a striking emotional depth,” while they are excited “to see what she does next.”

Lucas Englander, born in Vienna and trained across several artistic capitals, originally considered a diplomatic career before discovering his passion for acting. His versatility has since been demonstrated in projects such as Transatlantic (2023), the César best newcomer-shortlisted Appearances (2020), and his role opposite Nicole Kidman in the series Nine Perfect Strangers (2025). The Austrian actor will next star in Adrian Goiginger’s Das Café ohne Namen. The jury highlights that Lucas “is exceptionally versatile and moves effortlessly between roles and languages with a real freedom, and impressive ability to transform.”

Belgian actress Violet Braeckman has built a multidimensional career across theatre, television and music videos before shaping a strong presence in cinema. With roles in Teodora Ana Mihai’s Heysel 85 (2026), First Zone (2026) and The Age of Magic (2026), as well as the Netflix series The Twelve, she continues to expand her range. Her parallel work curating artistic festivals further sharpens her instinct for character and storytelling. The jury commends her “extraordinary” performance in Heysel 85, where she “balances the conflict within beautifully, capturing your attention from the first moment. She is chameleonic, delivering with no restrictions,” and as the jury point out, “being a chameleon is the rarest talent you can find.”

French actor Salif Cissé discovered acting at eighteen, a late but decisive start that soon led to a César nomination for Most Promising Actor for All Hands on Deck (2020). He has since demonstrated an exceptional ability to blend humour and emotional weight in films such as Filmlovers! (2024), Geuess Who Is Calling (2025) and the series Lupin (2023). More recently, he won over audiences in Cannes with his performance in Meteors by Hubert Charuel (2025), while also nurturing ambitions to move into directing. The jurors describe his performance in the latter as one that “evokes deep empathy, bringing warmth and a gentle power to this antihero”. They also highlight that he is “a pure charisma machine; you cannot help but be intrigued and charmed by him.”

German actor Enno Trebs began his career with a remarkable debut in Michael Haneke’s Palme d’Or–winning The White Ribbon (2009). He has since developed into one of Germany’s most intriguing young performers, frequently collaborating with Christian Petzold in Undine (2020), Afire (2023) and Miroirs No. 3 (2025). He now takes on a leading role in Nicolas Ehret’s Echo of Tomorrow’s War (2026). The jury observes an “intense, precise actor who combines a youthful energy with a distinct maturity,” noting in his latest performance “six levels of emotion that he is playing all at once. His balancing of kindness and brutality is astonishing, you believe in both.”

Irish actress Danielle Galligan trained at The Lir Academy and first made her mark in theatre before transitioning to screen roles that quickly showcased her versatility. Following early appearances in Game of Thrones, she has become a compelling lead in series such as Shadow and Bone and Kin (both 2021) and she was most recently seen in Steven Knight’s The House of Guinness (2025). Her acclaimed film performance in Lakelands (2022) earned her IFTA nominations for Best Lead Actress and Rising Star. According to the jury Danielle is “a charismatic, transformative talent,” highlighting in The House of Guinness that there is “something very classic about her, bringing a brittle element to her performance, with a fierce, humoristic, and playful demeanour that lights up every scene.”

The youngest of this year’s selection is Italian actress Tecla Insolia, who has already crafted an impressively promising career. After early roles in L’allieva (2018) and Off Grid (2020), she gained international attention as the protagonist of Valeria Golino’s The Art of Joy (2024). This was followed by strong performances in Familia and L'albero (both 2024), as well as in Amata and Damiano Michieletto‘s Primavera (both 2025), for which she was cast by multiple Silver Ribbon Award-nominated Italian casting director Gabriella Giannattasio. The jury members admire the Italian actress for bringing “real force to intense roles, with a magnetism that commands the screen. She catches the light and projects power while also delivering nuance and fragility.”

Dutch actor Joes Brauers began acting at eight and has since built a remarkably diverse career, including roles in Quo vadis, Aida? (2020), Do Not Hesitate (2021) and Hardcore Never Dies (2023). He next appears in Sander Burger’s Youri (2026), portraying a journalist in 1980s Amsterdam. The jury points to his “impressive physical transformation, shifting from hardened to gentle with ease,” and are convinced that he has the “gravitas and the ingredients to become a big movie star.”

Norwegian actress Sofia Tjelta Sydness first gained recognition through her standout performance in Delete Me (2021), earning a Gullruten nomination and establishing herself as a rising talent. She has since appeared in Netflix’s Midsummer Night (2024), taken on a key role in Ruben Östlund’s The Entertainment System is Down, and demonstrated her range in the drama Fighter (2026) directed by Irasj Asanti. The five film experts describe her as “fresh, direct and unpretentious,” praising her “vivid, precise screen presence.” Concluding that she is “talented, beautiful and bigger than life – what we are looking for in a European Shooting Star.”

Cleo Diára, born in Cape Verde and raised in Lisbon, began her artistic journey in theatre before transitioning into film, with striking authenticity. Her breakthrough came with Pedro Pinho’s I Only Rest in the Storm (2025), which earned her the prestigious Un Certain Regard Best Performance award in Cannes. She also appears in the cult favourite Diamantino (2018) and the upcoming series Lisbon Noir. The jury highlights her as “fierce and feminine,” and were fascinated by the fact that she is “natural and spontaneous, she has something about her that cannot be learned.”

Awarded as this year’s European Shooting Stars, the selected talents will take part in a four-day programme during the Berlinale, featuring networking sessions, industry meetings and press events, as well as a memorable red-carpet moment and the greeting of the group at the Berlinale Palast. The programme is designed to enhance their international visibility, connect them with key decision-makers and highlight their potential at a pivotal stage in their emerging careers.

Throughout its 29 years, EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS has been an important stepping-stone for the selected talent’s international careers – notable winners over the years include: Riz Ahmed (The Phoenician Scheme, Relay, Fingernails, Encounter, Sound of Metal), Matilda de Angelis (Fuori, Citadel: Diana, Across the River and Into the Trees, Atlas, The Undoing), Asta Kamma August (Families Like Ours), Suzy Bemba (Poor Things, Homecoming), Leonie Benesch (The Teachers‘ Lounge), George MacKay (The End, The Beast, Munich – The Edge of War, 1917), Joely Mbundu (Young Mothers), Valentina Bellè (My Tennis Maestro, Primavera), Thibaud Dooms (The Entertainment System Is Down), Carey Mulligan (Spaceman, Maestro, She Said, The Dig, Promising Young Woman, The Great Gatsby), Katharina Stark (Franz), Benedetta Porcaroli (The Kidnapping Of Arabella, Immaculate), Alba Rohrwacher (Maria, La Chimera, Happy as Lazzaro), Éanna Hardwicke (Saipan), Bill Skarsgård (Boy Kills World, It, It Chapter 2), August Diehl (The Disappearance of Josef Mengele), Cécile de France (Colours of Time, Dalloway), Luna Wedler (Silent Friend), Vic Carmen Sonne (The Girl with the Needle), Anamaria Vartolomei (Adam's Sake, Le Comte de Monte-Cristo), Ella Rumpf (Love Letters), Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (The Wizard Of The Kremlin, The Assessment, Rumour, Firebrand, Beckett, Tomb Raider) and Maisie Williams (The New Look, Game of Thrones).

EFP 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, Filmmakers 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, Albanian National Center of Cinematography, AUSTRIAN FILMS, Cinecittà (Italy), Flanders Image (Belgium), ICA - Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual I.P. (Portugal), SEE NL (The Netherlands), Norwegian Film Institute, Screen Ireland / Fís Éireann and Unifrance. EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS’ main media partner is Variety, with additional media partners: Screen International, Cineuropa, THE SPOT media & film, HeyUGuys and Festival Scope.

get in touch with