Irish Actor Domhnall Gleeson Selected for the Prestigious ‘Shooting Star’ Award at the Berlin International Film Festival 2011
Irish actor Domhnall Gleeson (Sensation, True Grit) has been selected for the prestigious European SHOOTING STAR initiative and will be honoured with an award along with nine other European actors at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2011.Chosen from a competitive list of actors from over 25 different European countries, Domhnall will be in good company with previous stars who have received this award early in their career, including Daniel Craig (James Bond franchise), Carey Mulligan (Never Let Me Go), Daniel Bruel (Goodbye Lenin), Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardiner) and Irish actress Sarah Bolger (The Tudors).
Domhnall's fellow Shooting Stars include F. Y. Rep. of Macedonia actress Natasha Petrovic for her performance in ‘As If I Am Not There' which is directed by IFTA winner Juanita Wilson.
Speaking about his Shooting Star selection, Domhnall said "I'm hugely honoured to be included as one this year's shooting stars. It's a very exciting list of young actors and I'm thrilled to be chosen along with such a talented group of people. I'd like to thank the jury for considering me and the Irish Film Board for putting me forward, and I can't wait to get to Berlin and meet all the other actors."
2010 has seen a busy and exciting year for Domhnall having appeared in Mark Romanek's Never Let Me Go, alongside Carey Mulligan and Keira Knightley, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 1 with veteran actors Alan Rickman, Bill Nighy, Ralph Fiennes and Daniel Radcliffe, as well as playing the lead role in Tom Hall's darkly comedic Sensation. Domhnall also plays the part of Moon The Kid in Ethan and Joel Coen's True Grit, which also stars Jeff Bridges, Matt Damon and Josh Brolin and is set to open the 2011 Berlinale.
Domhnall has also appeared in numerous Irish television projects including The Last Furlong, Your Bad Self and When Harvey Met Bob, in which he played the title role of Bob Geldof. He is set to feature in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows: Part 2 due for release next year and in Brendan Gleeson's At Swim Two Birds currently in development.
Domhnall made his film acting debut in Martin McDonagh's Six Shooter in 2004, which went on to win an Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short. In 2006 he earned a Tony Award nomination for his part in the Broadway production The Lieutenant of Inishmore, followed by an Irish Theatre Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his role in American Buffalo at the Gate Theatre in 2007.
SHOOTING STARS is a unique European programme which seeks to select the best in young European actors on the rise and has been annually presenting these awards at the Berlinale for the past 14 years. The highlight of the three-day event is the presentation of the SHOOTING STARS AWARDS on the main stage of the Berlinale Palast, supported by Studio Babelsberg, one of the leading film studios for international feature film productions in Europe.
Jury member actress Heike Makatsch said "I am especially pleased this year to be able to select the most interesting up-and-coming European actors together with my jury colleagues. There are so many exciting talents among them! The films give a good insight into European filmmaking and the kind of subjects which are particularly topical in the respective countries. Shooting Stars is an international initiative which is really unique for young actors. I fondly remember my experience with EFP in Berlin."
The members of the 2011 jury are the German actress Heike Makatsch (Love Actually), who was feted as a German SHOOTING STAR in 2001, the renowned Danish director Ole Christian Madsen (Flame & Citron), the producer Cédomir Kolar (A.S.A.P. Films, France), the internationally active casting director Lina Todd from the USA (Little Man Tate), and Derek Elley, author and film critic from Great Britain.
The Berlin International Film Festival will take place from the 10th-20th February 2011.