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).
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.”
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.