‘How I Live Now’, ‘Kon-Tiki’, ‘Waltz For Monica’ Actors Among Berlin Shooting Stars

The Shooting Stars program, which has close ties to the Berlin Film Festival, was created in 1998 and boasts alumni that includes Carey Mulligan, Mélanie Laurent, Domhnall Gleeson, Bill Skarsgard, Andrea Riseborough, Alicia Vikander, Archie Panjabi, Daniel Craig and Rachel Weisz. Program organizer European Film Promotion has selected its next batch of 10 Shooting Stars for 2014. The young actors include Edda Magnason, the star of Sweden’s top grosser this year, Waltz For Monica, and the UK’s George MacKay whose credits include How I Live Now, Sunshine On Leith and For Those In Peril. European member countries put forth candidates who are then nominated by an international jury comprised of film industry pros. The actors have a sort of coming out during the Berlin festival when they are presented to world media and to casting directors, agents, directors and producers. Each of the actors also receives a Shooting Stars Award at a gala ceremony. The fest runs from February 6-16, 2014 with the Shooting Stars spotlight from February 8-10. The group this year also includes Danica Curcic from Denmark (On The Edge, The Absent One); Germany’s Maria Dragus (Summer Outside, The White Ribbon); Italy’s Miriam Karlkvist (South Is Nothing); The Netherlands’ Marwan Kenzari (Wolf); Norway’s Jakob Oftebro (Kon-Tiki); Poland’s Mateusz Kościukiewicz (In The Name Of…); Romania’s Cosmina Stratan (Beyond The Hills); and Serbia’s Nikola Rakocevic (Circles).