“Complex and highly relatable”: Irish actor and screenwriter Clare Dunne selected for European Shooting Stars Award 2022
Posted: 13th January 2022
The Herself and Kin star is one of 10 actors presented as the most promising up-and-coming European talents this year
Irish actress Clare Dunne has been selected for the 25th edition of European Shooting Stars, a prestigious initiative to promote European acting talent. The actor’s selection follows in the steps of Irish actors Ruth Negga, Domhnall Gleeson and Andrew Scott, all previous recipients of the honour, which is presented at the Berlinale Film Festival.
Clare is best known for her roles as Sandra in Phyllida Lloyd’s Herself (2020) and Amanda in AMC+ series Kin (2021). In their selection, the jury commented that: “Clare Dunne creates complex and highly relatable characters through her profound understanding of the intricacies of the human mind. At once sophisticated, firm, and moldable, she succeeds in nuancing the female psyche. Her delivery of lines is very precise and her control of voice meticulous. In a very clever and well reflected manner, her performance communicates a deep sense of self-awareness and well-founded confidence.”
Commenting on the award, Clare said:
“I am so thrilled to be part of Shooting Stars! I have always fantasised about the wonderful conversations and collaborations that must happen at this gathering, and I am buzzing to be part of it in 2022 with such an incredible array of talented people. So delighted and honoured. I cannot wait to be in Berlin.”
A graduate of Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Clare Dunne has a notable career on the UK and international stage. She also had a heady past two years on the big and small screen, having been cast in the lead of the acclaimed BRON/AMC+ and RTE series, KIN and starred in HERSELF (Element Films) - which she co-wrote - which premiered at Sundance 2020 to rave reviews and went on to win her numerous international nominations and awards.
Louise Ryan, Marketing & Communications Manager, Fís Éireann/Screen Ireland, said:
“We are delighted to congratulate Clare on her selection as one of this year’s European Shooting Stars, which honours the best up and coming acting talent. Clare’s performance in Phyllida Lloyd’s Herself earned critical acclaim at Sundance in 2020, a role that she co-wrote and put her heart and soul into on the screen and behind it. Clare recently captivated audiences in AMC’s KIN where she portrayed a complex crime boss grieving for her son and Screen Ireland is proud to have supported these projects. We look forward to seeing what she’ll do next and feel sure that the sky is the limit for her.”
Typically presented at the Berlinale or Berlin Film Festival in February, this year’s European Shooting Stars programme will take place from 11th – 14th February 2022, where the seven actresses and three actors will be presented to the international press, the industry and the public in an exclusive programme during the festival. The Shooting Stars Award Ceremony will take place on the 14th of February at the Berlinale Palast.
This year’s programme for the Shooting Stars provides a tailormade platform for the talent to meet journalists, casting directors, producers and filmmakers in group sessions and 1:1 meetings, offering a unique opportunity to create the personal contacts and network needed to embark upon an international career. The busy weekend culminates in an awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday 14th February, where each actor will be honoured with the EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS Award.
Throughout its 25 years, European Shooting Stars has been an important stepping-stone for an actor's international career - notable Shooting Stars of recent years include: Carey Mulligan (The Dig, Promising Young Woman, The Great Gatsby), Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander (Beckett, Tomb Raider), Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), Riz Ahmed (Encounter, Sound of Metal, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Mogul Mowgli), and George MacKay (Munich – The Edge of War, 1917).
About the Shooting Stars Programme
The ten selected EFP European Shooting Stars for 2022 are: Gracija Filipović (Croatia), Marie Reuther (Denmark), Anamaria Vartolomei (France), Emilio Sakraya (Germany), Clare Dunne (Ireland), Hanna van Vliet (The Netherlands), Evin Ahmad (Sweden), João Nunes Monteiro (Portugal) Timon Sturbej (Slovenia), Souheila Yacoub (Switzerland).
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, Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Spotlight, as well as the participating national film promotion institutes from the Shooting Stars' countries, EFP’s member organisations - with a special thanks to German Films: Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Danish Film Institut, Finnish Film Foundation, German Films, Instituto do Cinema e do Audiovisual I.P. / ICA (Portugal), SEE NL (The Netherlands), Slovenian Film Centre, Swedish Film Institute, SWISS FILMS and UniFrance. Main media partner is Variety, with additional media partners: Screen International, Cineuropa, Blickpunkt:Film, HeyUGuys and Festival Scope.