Shanghai Surprise: Shooting Stars Come East

"Shooting Stars" is a prestigious pan-European initiative organized by European Film Promotion (EFP) kicked off annually at the Berlin International Film Festival. The showcase allows emerging new acting talent and their films to get recognized on an international level.

Each year, ten young actors from across Europe are chosen by a jury of industry professionals for their outstanding work in feature films.

This time, EFP with four out of ten Shooting Stars 2011 come to the Shanghai International Film Festival. They are Alexander Fehling, Sylvia Hoeks, Natasha Petrovic and Nik Xhelilaj.

The four European participants were showcased at this year\'s Berlin International Film Festival as Shooting Stars and will be touring as ambassadors for European Film , an appealing challenge inroad to the growing yet difficult-to-crack China film market.

The four Shooting Stars are enthusiastic about attending SIFF.Together with 10 chinese Actors, winners of the festivals new designed program Star Hunter, at SIFF, they will participate in various festival activities, including a press conference, a reception and presentation at the Star Hunter Awards Ceremony, After Party event with producers and directors from all over the world and a red carpet event at SIFF\'s Closing Ceremony.

To extend the benefits reaped at the Berlin International Film Festival by the young acting talent EFP has created the Touring Shooting Stars Programme at high quality international film festivals each year. These events have become an important and valuable follow-up programme to the launch of Shooting Stars in Berlin.

For the past 14 years, EFP has been the only existing international network active in the worldwide promotion and marketing of European cinema. Under the EFP umbrella, member organisations from 32 European countries work together in promoting European cinema and the talent behind it.