Kristín Thora Haraldsdóttir selected for Shooting Stars 2019
The Icelandic actress Kristín Thora Haraldsdóttir has been selected for Shooting Stars 2019, an annual showcase of ten promising young European actors. The selection is made annually by European Film Promotion (EFP), a network of national organizations that promote cinema, and the awards will be given out at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, which will be held from February 7–17.
Each of the ten Shooting Stars was nominated by his/her respective national organization and then selected by a jury consisting of American casting director Avy Kaufman, Serbian film critic Tara Karajica, Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska, Irish producer Macdara Kelleher and the Icelandic actor Ingvar Sigurdsson, who himself was a Shooting Star in 1999. The showcase in Berlin will give the Shooting Stars the opportunity to network with European agents, casting directors, and filmmakers, and take interviews with various international media outlets.
The jury's reasoning for selecting Haraldsdóttir as one of this year's Shooting Stars reads as follows: “Kristín Thora Haraldsdóttir shows a very deep insight and understanding of her roles. Invariably compelling and always portraying challenging characters, she possesses the subtle and keen aptitude to push the boundaries of viewers' experience therefore earning our utmost trust and attention. This is truly a remarkable quality not to be missed in an actress.”
Kristin Thora Haraldsdóttir's most recent work includes leading roles in two award-winning Icelandic films from 2018: Ísold Uggadóttir's Sundance winner And Breathe Normally and Baldvin Z's Let Me Fall , which premiered at Toronto. Haraldsdóttir's performance in And Breathe Normally won her the Best Actress award at the Queer Lisboa film festival. She also appeared recently in the award-winning Icelandic TV series Prisoners and continues to perform with both the National Theatre of Iceland and the Reykjavík City Theatre. For her work on the stage, she has won the Icelandic Performing Arts Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2015 and an honorary award for excellence in 2014.
EFP's Shooting Stars is now in its 22nd year. Previous European participants have included Rachel Weisz (1998), Iben Hjejle (1999), Daniel Craig (2000), Daniel Brühl (2003), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (2003), Carey Mulligan (2009), and Alicia Vikander (2010). Over the years, the following Icelandic actors have been selected:
Ingvar E. Sigurdsson (1999)
Hilmir Snær Gudnason (2000)
Baltasar Kormákur (2001)
Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir (2002)
Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir (2003)
Tómas Lemarquis (2004)
Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir (2005)
Björn Hlynur Haraldsson (2006)
Gísli Örn Gardarsson (2007)
Hilmar Gudjónsson (2012)
Edda Magnason (2014, Icelandic/Swedish actress representing Sweden)
Hera Hilmar (2015)
Atli Óskar Fjalarsson (2016)
Click here for further information regarding EFP's Shooting Stars 2019.