European Film Promotion Body Fetes Its Shooting Stars
The European Film Promotion organization feted its 2018 Shooting Stars in a historic venue in Berlin’s Kreuzberg district on Feb. 19. Previously a hospital commissioned by King Frederick William IV of Prussia in the 19th century and then an artists’ complex, the building welcomed the young talent selected for the Shooting Stars’ 21st edition.
Among those attending were the youngest Shooting Star, 18-year-old Luna Wedler of Switzerland, and Hungary’s Réka Tenki, who starred in the 2017 Berlinale’s Golden Bear winner, “On Body and Soul.” Also celebrating late into the night were Franz Rogowski, who stars in German film “In Den Gangen” (“In the Aisles”), one of this year’s competition titles in Berlin, and Irakli Kvirikadze, who appears in “Hostages” and is Georgia’s first-ever Shooting Star.
(Réka Tenki and Franz Rogowski)
(Matilda De Angelis and Luna Wedler)
The crowd in Kreuzberg was welcomed by EFP President Martin Schweighofer and Managing Director Sonja Heinen. Revelers chatted, networked and danced as attendants served drinks and traditional schnitzel.
The party was one of several events organized for the Shooting Stars, who are chosen by a panel of entertainment industry experts.
Other opportunities organized for the rising young talent included meetings with filmmakers and international producers. At a session with casting directors, Debbie McWilliams, who casts for the James Bond franchise, said that producers ought to trust the expertise of casting directors to find the best person for a role instead of simply requesting celebrity names. McWilliams added that some of the best films of recent years had no established stars, such as “Moonlight”and “Lady Macbeth.”
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