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european shooting stars platform for the most promising pan-european acting talents
With the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS programme, EFP brings ten promising, versatile European acting newcomers to the Berlin International Film Festival each year. The goal is to help them make a name for themselves with the international press and audience and to build a network in the international film industry.
The actors take part in a tailor-made programme that includes extensive press work and meetings with international casting directors, talent agents and producers. At the glamorous EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS presentation in the Berlinale Palast, the participants will be honoured in front of an international audience of industry professionals.
how to participate
EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS is open to all European actors/actresses who have already made a name for themselves in their home countries and are on the edge of stepping up to an international career. Actors cannot apply themselves but must be nominated by their EFP member institute. A candidate must:
- have acknowledged experience in their native country but should be
a newcomer / discovery internationally - have been cast in a main role in either the feature-length film (World Premiere from March 2025 onwards) or in the high-end drama series (for international release in 2025) for which the actor is nominated
- be at least 16 years old
- be fluent in English
Each of the 37 EFP member organizations can nominate one candidate. The final selection is made by an international jury of industry professionals. For general information please contact info@efp-online.com For more information on the national selection, please contact the respective EFP member institute.
european shooting stars 2026
Albanian National Center of Cinematography
Albania
Fatlume Bunjaku is a Kosovan-Albanian actress who blends her creative flair on-screen, with a meaningful academic background – and even a career in music. She began in 2013 and her talent was recognised instantaneously, winning the Best Actress award at the Nine Eleven Film Festival, leading to a host of impressive credits, culminating with an impressive turn in Hana (2025). Off screen she remains committed in sharing her wisdom with the next generation, having obtained a master’s degree in 2020, she specialised in children’s theatre, made accessible to those with special needs, while also working as a lecturer in the performing arts.
Fatlume Bunjaku
Albania
Lido Agency
Austria
Lucas Englander was born in Vienna into an Austrian-Czech family, and his education in the arts spans from NYC, to Berlin, London and Paris. Before he discovered acting, he wanted to join the military, study law and environmental sciences and become a diplomat - but life chose a different path. A path which led him to go toe-to-toe with Nicole Kidman in Nine Perfect Strangers (2025), after receiving critical acclaim for his emotionally complex performance in Transatlantic (2023) and having been shortlisted for a César award for Appearances (2020). Now focusing on European film, his next leading role will be in Adrian Goiginger’s Das Café ohne Namen.
Lucas Englander
Austria
ATA Talent Agency
Belgium
Violet Braeckman is a Belgian-based actress, who has been working in theatre, TV, and even music videos – yet it’s cinema where her career is truly about to flourish, with some exciting projects on the horizon. She has a leading role in Teodora Ana Mihai’s Heysel 85 (2026), recounting a devastating true story, and in Thom Lunshof's feature debut First Zone (2026). She’s also in Peter Krüger’s The Age of Magic (2026), as well as joining the popular Belgian series The Twelve (2019). Braeckman also organises festivals, bringing the work of young creatives together; forming connections that profoundly enrich her craft and deepen her understanding of character.
Violet Braeckman
Belgium
Agence Artistique Adéquat
France
Salif Cissé first discovered his passion for acting during a high school workshop when he was 18. Having never considered it a path, it’s one he has since walked down with a swagger. His film debut was in All Hands on Deck (2020), which earnt him a César nomination in the Most Promising Actor category. His aptitude for blending pathos with comedy is displayed in Filmlovers! (2024) and Guess Who Is Calling (2025), as well as a role in Netflix series Lupin (2023). With ambitions to step behind the lens and direct feature films, for now the Frenchman remains a rising star in front of it, captivating viewers in Meteors (2025), after screening in Cannes.
Salif Cissé
France
Agentur Lambsdorff
Germany
Enno Trebs may be young and still emerging, but he already has a remarkably rich and expansive career to his name. Born in Berlin, his career began under the guidance of a master, working with Michael Haneke on the Palme d’Or–winning drama The White Ribbon (2009). Although he once claimed he would never become a professional actor, to the great benefit of audiences he did not keep that promise. Since then, he has collaborated repeatedly with contemporary auteurs such as Christian Petzold, appearing in Undine (2020), Afire (2023), and most recently Miroirs No. 3 (2025). He will next be seen in the lead role in Nicolas Ehret’s Echo of Tomorrow’s War (2026).
Enno Trebs
Germany
LBM Actors
Ireland
Danielle Galligan graduated from The Lir Academy in Ireland in 2015, kickstarting a career in theatre, both as a performer and maker. She made her television debut with a small role in Game of Thrones, though is now a leading lady, as seen in Stephen Knight’s The House of Guinness (2025). She’s a series regular in Shadow and Bone (2021) and Kin (2021), while on the big screen she impressed opposite former Shooting Star Éanna Hardwicke in Lakelands (2022), leading to nominations for Best Lead Actress and Rising Star at the IFTAs, while also starring in Spilt Milk (2024). She’ll soon be seen in the films A Rare Breed and But When We Dance.
Danielle Galligan
Ireland
Gianni Chiffi
Italy
Tecla Insolia may be youthful, but is already experienced, with a career rapidly on the rise. Making her television debut in L’allieva (2018), just two years later came a leading role in Off Grid (2020). With her stock rising on the smaller screen, thanks to playing the complex protagonist in Valeria Golino’s The Art of Joy (2024), she made the successful move into feature length films, with striking turns in Francesco Costabile’s Familia (2024), and Sara Petraglia’s L’Albero (2024). Recently she had Amata (2025) in Venice, and Primavera (2025) in Toronto, establishing the actress as one of the most exciting young talents in Italy.
Tecla Insolia
Italy
Henneman Agency
The Netherlands
Joes Brauers first began acting at just eight years old. Keeping busy ever since, he further developed his talent at the Maastricht Institute of Performative Arts, to fully dedicate his life to storytelling, as he does now. He has since featured in the Oscar-nominated feature Quo vadis, Aida? (2020), as well as Do Not Hesitate (2021), which was put forward as the Dutch entry for the Academy Awards. More recently seen in Hardcore Never Dies (2023) and the short film Fuck-a-Fan (2024), for which he was awarded a Golden Calf. The actor will soon be stepping back in time, to Amsterdam in 1982, in Sander Burger’s Youri (2026).
Joes Brauers
The Netherlands
Agentfirman
Norway
Sofia Tjelta Sydness brings charisma and presence to her performances, coming to the attention of viewers with her turn as a troubled young woman in TV series Delete Me (2021), earning her a nomination for a Gullruten, the leading television awards in Norway. From here she was cast in Netflix mini-series Midsummer Night (2024) and will soon be seen in Ruben Östlund’s highly anticipated next outing, The Entertainment System is Down, where the talented youngster plays a vital role as the daughter of Daniel Brühl and Kirsten Dunst. She has also displayed her range in MMA drama Fighter (2026), marking the directorial debut of Irasj Asanti.
Sofia Tjelta Sydness
Norway
Elite Lisbon
Portugal
Cleo Diára was born in Cape Verde, before moving to Lisbon as a child and discovering a love for the theatre, a passion she has held ever since. Having performed under the guidance on many noteworthy directors in stage productions, she brings that same energy and authenticity to her screen performances, with a starring role in Pedro Pinho’s I Only Rest in the Storm (2025), which won Diára the Un Certain Regard – Best Performance award in Cannes 2025. Other noteworthy credits include the uniquely creative Diamantino (2018), while she’ll next be seen on Prime Video show Lisbon Noir, by Artur Ribeiro.
Cleo Diára
Portugal
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