We speak to the winner of the European Shooting Star Award 2025 and the actors honoured at this year’s Berlinale festival.
Every year at the Berlinale, the European Film Promotion (EFP) hosts the Shooting Stars event to showcase the talents of 10 exceptional European acting newcomers. Selected from qualifying countries in the EU, each actor has already made a name for themselves in their homeland and are on the verge of stepping onto the international stage.
This year the actors selected for the European Shooting Stars are:
- Marina Makris (Cyprus)
- Besir Zeciri (Denmark)
- Maarja Johanna Mägi (Estonia)
- Devrim Lingnau (Germany)
- Elín Hall (Iceland)
- Kārlis Arnolds Avots (Latvia)
- Šarūnas Zenkevičius (Lithuania)
- Lidija Kordić (Montenegro)
- Vicenta Wallenstein (Portugal)
- Frida Gustavsson (Sweden)
At the Berlinale, the actors were introduced to casting directors, agents, industry professionals and press so they can build an international network to further develop their performing careers.
The event culminated in a ceremony where Montenegrin performer Lidija Kordić was presented with the Shooting Star Award. Lidija was recognised for her role in the Italian film Diva Futura, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2024. Upon receiving the award, Lidija dedicated the award to “all the little girls who dream big dreams, and of course, to my family.”
Lidija joins a prestigious alumni of previous winners including Rachel Weisz, Daniel Craig, Andrew Scott, Ruth Negga, Daniel Brühl, Alicia Vikander, Riz Ahmed, Carey Mulligan, Maisie Williams, George McKay and Carla Juri.
As a supporter of performers and their careers, Spotlight was proud to be part of this year’s event. Alongside Filmmakers, we sponsored the three day programme of meetings and networking opportunities for the EFP Shooting Stars.
We had the opportunity to interview the 10 actors about their acting journey and the performance that got them nominated to be a Shooting Star.
