Elín Hall selected for European Shooting Stars 2025
Icelandic actress Elín Hall is among 10 promising talents selected for the 2025 European Shooting Stars, an annual showcase organized by European Film Promotion (EFP).
Born in Canada, Elín Hall's ability was immediately apparent in films such as Let Me Fall (2018), and Cold (2023). Her performance exploring the complexity of grief in Rúnar Rúnarsson's When the Light Breaks (2024), which opened the Un Certain Regard at Cannes 2024, has earned her widespread recognition.
“In When the Light Breaks, you just want to stay with Icelandic star Elín Hall all the time, as she carries this complex film about grief,” states the jury's motivation. “She internalises the character and you're drawn to her; you never get tired of her. She is carrying a secret in the film, and it's like the viewer is her sole confidante. Hall is just an obvious Shooting Star. Sometimes it's very clear, and with this intelligent, natural performer, that was the case.”
When the Light Breaks (by Rúnar Rúnarsson), 2024. ©Compass Films, ArnorTrausti
Hall will star in an upcoming TV series about Vigdís Finnbogadóttir, the first woman in the world to be democratically elected as president, and she will also make her English-language debut in It All Comes With the Cold Water, set for release in 2025. Elín also straddles the line between music and film, with two albums to her name.
With a four-day intensive, customised programme, European Shooting Stars provides an international networking platform for the selected talent to meet international journalists, casting directors, producers and filmmakers while in Berlin. It offers a unique opportunity to create the professional network encouraging and strengthening the talents to embark on an international career. The programme culminates in a ceremony at the Berlinale Palast on Monday 17 February, where each actress and actor will be honoured with the European Shooting Stars Award.
Shooting Stars 2025 are the following actresses and actors: Marina Makris (Cyprus), Besir Zeciri (Denmark), Maarja Johanna Mägi (Estonia), Devrim Lingnau (Germany), Elín Hall (Iceland), Kārlis Arnolds Avots (Latvia), Šarūnas Zenkevičius (Lithuania), Lidija Kordić (Montenegro), Vicente Wallenstein (Portugal) and Frida Gustavsson (Sweden).
The following Icelandic talents have been selected for European Shooting Stars through the years:
- Ingvar E. Sigurðsson 1999.
- Hilmir Snær Guðnason 2000.
- Baltasar Kormákur 2001.
- Margrét Vilhjálmsdóttir 2002.
- Nína Dögg Filippusdóttir 2003.
- Tómas Lemarquis 2004.
- Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir 2005.
- Björn Hlynur Haraldsson 2006.
- Gísli Örn Garðarsson 2007.
- Hilmar Guðjónsson 2012.
- Edda Magnason (Icelandic/Swedish actress selected for Sweden) 2014.
- Hera Hilmar 2015.
- Atli Óskar Fjalarsson 2016.
- Krístín Þóra Haraldsdóttir 2019.
- Thorvaldur Kristjánsson 2023.