Now in its twenty ninth version, the European Capturing Stars platform, run by European Film Promotion and supported by Inventive Europe’s Media Programme, brings one other 10 promising European performing skills to the Berlin Film Festival, to assist them construct their careers internationally. From Feb. 13-16, the chosen performers will take part in workshops and panels, in addition to conferences with worldwide journalists, producers and casting administrators.
An open occasion within the Berlinale Hub on Feb.16 will introduce the skills to the general public together with a mixture of conversations, video clips and video games in a playful and relaxed environment. Entrance is free on a first-come, first-served foundation.
This yr’s Capturing Stars have been picked by a jury comprising Danish actress Danica Ćurčić, Bosnian helmer and Academy Award-winner Danis Tanović, Portuguese casting director Jo Monteiro, Belgian producer Jacques-Henri Bronckart and British-Sudanese critic Leila Latif. They have been chosen from candidates nominated by their nationwide movie promotion institutes and movie facilities.
Meet this yr’s Capturing Stars:
Violet Braeckman
Belgium
Braeckman, who was praised by the jury as being “chameleonic… the rarest expertise you will discover,” stars within the Berlinale Particular Gala “Heysel 85.” She performs the daughter of the mayor of Brussels, certainly one of many characters caught between skilled responsibility, household loyalty and ethical accountability when violence erupts throughout the European Cup Remaining. This yr can even discover Braeckman in Dutch director Thom Lunshof’s characteristic debut, “First Zone,” in addition to Peter Krüger’s “The Age of Magic.” As well as, she is at the moment creating her characteristic directing debut.
Joes Brauers
The Netherlands
Brauers launched his performing profession on the age of 8 and has compiled impressively various credit in theater, movie and TV, together with Jasmila Zbanic’s Oscar-nominated characteristic “Quo vadis, Aida?” In 2026, he will probably be seen in Dutch helmer Sander Burger’s Nineteen Eighties interval drama “Youri,” because the journalist who forges a relationship with the world-famous Soviet refugee live performance pianist Youri Egorov. The jury famous that he has the “gravitas and the elements to turn out to be a giant film star.”
Fatlume Bunjaku
Albania
A Kosovar-Albanian, Bunjaku combines her performing profession with work as a professor of performing arts. She’s been energetic in movie and theater since 2013. Commenting on her “commanding display presence,” the jury famous, “You may see her dance background in her physicality; in the best way her backbone transforms from one efficiency to a different. It’s very thrilling to see what she does subsequent.” Bunjaku wrote and is at the moment producing her first brief movie, “Visa, Champagne and a Sandwich.”
Salif Cissé
France
Additionally chosen as certainly one of Unifrance’s 10 to Watch this yr, Cissé found his ardour for performing throughout a highschool workshop. He made his characteristic debut in 2020 with “All Palms on Deck,” which earned him a César nomination for many promising actor. He demonstrated his aptitude for mixing pathos with comedy in “Filmlovers!” and “Guess Who Is Calling?,” and introduced an actual sense of humanity to his antihero in “Meteors.” After helming the brief “Allies” in 2024, he’s planning his characteristic directing debut.
Cleo Diára
Portugal
The Cape Verde-born expertise moved to Lisbon as a toddler, the place she found a love for the theater. She has since appeared in lots of acclaimed stage productions, and brings that very same power and authenticity to her onscreen performances. Her starring function in Pedro Pinho’s “I Solely Relaxation within the Storm” scored Diára the celebrated Un Sure Regard — finest efficiency award on the 2025 Cannes Movie Competition. That yr, she additionally performed within the Cannes ACID title “Night time Passengers.” She’s going to quickly be seen within the Prime Video Unique sequence “Lisbon Noir,” directed by Artur Ribeiro.
Lucas Englander
Austria
The versatile, multilingual, Vienna-born performer has had a busy few years in worldwide initiatives, together with the favored miniseries “9 Good Strangers” alongside Nicole Kidman, and “Transatlantic.” After making the latter, he grew to become an Ambassador for the Worldwide Rescue Committee. Educated on the Stella Adler College of Appearing in New York Metropolis, the actor’s subsequent main function will probably be in Adrian Goiginger’s “Das Café ohne Namen.” He has two initiatives in improvement: Théo Hellermann’s “Quand Le Monde Nous Regardera” and Harald Sicheritz’s “Bruno, der junge Kreisky.”
Danielle Galligan
Eire
At present embodying the fascinating Irish historic determine Woman Olivia Hedges-White on the Netflix sequence “Home of Guinness,” Galligan boasts various TV credit on different status TV sequence together with “Recreation of Thrones” (Sarra Frey), “Shadow and Bone” (Nina) and “The Walsh Sisters” (Claire). On the large display, she impressed in “Lakelands” and “Spilt Milk.” Upcoming options embody Sam Johnson’s debut, “A Uncommon Breed,” and John Madden’s “However When We Dance.” The jury calls her a “charismatic, transformative expertise.”
Tecla Insolia
Italy
A pupil of music for the reason that age of 5, Insolia’s musical aptitude and prize-winning function within the Sky Unique miniseries “The Artwork of Pleasure” made her the proper selection for the lead in opera director Damiano Michieletto’s characteristic debut, “Primavera.” In that characteristic, she performs the colourful, rebellious convent lady violinist taught by composer Antonio Vivaldi. The youngest of the Capturing Stars, she additionally boosts a number of pop/rock singles.
Sofia Tjelta Sydness
Norway
Usually credited merely as Sofia Tjelta, the Norwegian actress has a big half in what is maybe essentially the most hotly anticipated title of 2026: Ruben Ostlund’s “The Leisure System Is Down,” taking part in the daughter of Daniel Brühl and Kirsten Dunst. In actual life, the rising expertise is the offspring of Norwegian performers Pia Tjelta and Kyrre Haugen Sydness. She established herself as a expertise to observe within the TV sequence “Delete Me,” following that with a job within the Netflix miniseries “Midsummer Night time.”
Enno Trebs
Germany
Like fellow Capturing Star Joes Brauers, Trebs’ movie credit lengthen again to his youth, and embody, most notably, Michael Haneke’s “The White Ribbon.” His collaboration with German auteur Christian Petzold covers three titles: “Undine,” “Afire” and “Mirrors No. 3.” This yr, he’s the lead in helmer Nicolas Ehret’s “Echo of Tomorrow’s Conflict.” The jury praised him as an “intense, exact actor who combines a youthful power with a definite maturity.”
