Irish Actress Sarah Bolger Comments on her nomination for the Shooting Star Award
Irish actress Sarah Bolger (The Spiderwick Chronicles, In America) has been selected for the European Film Promotion (EFP) ‘Shooting Stars', the annual new talent forum which will take place at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 2009.Sarah beat off stiff competition to be chosen as one of nine prominent young actors from across Europe, selected by a jury from a broad list of potential candidates. Other nominated Shooting Stars include Cyron Melville (Denmark), Samuli Vauramo (Finland), Hafsia Herzi (France), David Kross (Germany), Orsi Tóth (Hungary), Alba Caterina Rohrwacher (Italy), Verónica Echegui (Spain), Celine Bolomey (Switzerland) and Carey Mulligan (United Kingdom).
Sarah became famous in 2002 when she starred in Jim Sheridan's In America with her sister Emma. She was nominated for five awards including Best Supporting Female at the Independent Spirit Awards and received the Best Performance by a Youth in a Lead or Supporting Role Award at Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards for this role.
More recently she has starred in the television series The Tudors with Jonathan Rhys Meyers and in the film adaptation of the children's novel The Spiderwick Chronicles with Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, August Rush).
Commenting on the nomination Sarah Bolger said ‘I am thrilled to have been selected for such a prestigious event. Previous Shooting Stars are an inspiration, and I'm incredibly honoured to be included amongst the list of other actors who have been selected this year. I can't stop smiling!'
Previous actors who have been shortlisted for the ‘Shooting Stars' include Padraic Delaney (The Wind that Shakes the Barley), Ruth Negga (Breakfast on Pluto), Mark O'Halloran (Adam & Paul), Daniel Craig (Casino Royale), Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener) and Daniel Brühl (Goodbye Lenin).
This year's ‘Shooting Stars' jury consists of: Marion Hänsel (Belgium - director), Antonio Saura (Spain- producer), Peter Cowie (UK - film historian), Patrícia Vasconcelos (Portugal - casting director) and Labina Mitevska (Macedonia - actress). Each of the actors was chosen for their outstanding work in feature films and, with their participation in ‘Shooting Stars', they will be able to showcase their talents to a wide range of industry professionals.
The 12th edition of the ‘Shooting Stars' event will take place from Saturday 7th to Monday 9th February at the Berlinale, where the actors will be presented to leading filmmakers and industry personnel as well as attend high profile events at the festival. The highlight of next year's event will be when Festival Director Dieter Kosslick introduces the Shooting Stars to the Berlinale-Palast audience on Monday 9 February and gives out the Shooting Stars Awards - sponsored by Studio Babelsberg handed out to the young actors.
The ‘Shooting Stars' project is supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union, the EFP member organisations and commercial partners. The aims of EFP and the ‘Shooting Stars' project are not only to raise the profile of European film internationally, but also to furnish the ‘Shooting Stars' with as many tools as possible to further their careers.