Atli Óskar Fjalarsson Named European Shooting Star 2016

The Icelandic actor Atli Óskar Fjalarsson has been selected by European Film Promotion (EFP) for Shooting Stars 2016, an annual showcase for ten young and promising European actors. Chosen by a jury of industry experts, the ten talents will be presented with the award during the opening weekend of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, which takes place February 11th-21st 2016.

During the Berlin International Film Festival, the ten Shooting Stars will undertake a weekend of profile-raising workshops and events, with influential members of the International Casting Directors Network (ICDN), film and television agents and filmmakers, alongside interviews and photo-shoots with international media.

Atli can currently be seen in Rúnar Rúnarsson’s feature, Sparrows, in which he plays Ari, 16, who is forced to move back to his small hometown in rural Iceland to live with his alcoholic father after his mother leaves to take up a research post in Africa.

The jury commented on Atli’s performance: “Atli convinced us with his generous, poetic yet contained performance in ‘Þrestir / Sparrows’. Playing a sensitive boy caught in a cold and harsh environment, he showed us a new and refreshing take on the role of the quiet dreamer.”

Previous winners of the Shooting Stars award, which is now in its 19th year, include: Rachel Weisz (1998), Iben Hjejle (1999), Daniel Craig (2000), Daniel Brühl (2003), Nikolaj Lie Kaas (2003), Carey Mulligan (2009), and Alicia Vikander (2010).