Congratulations! Actor Emilio Sakraya is German Shooting Star for 2022

• Presentation of the ten European Shooting Stars at the 72nd Berlinale
• Filmstiftung has been supporting the programme of European Film Promotion since 1998

European Film Promotion (EFP) today unveiled the names of the ten European acting talents who were selected by an international jury to be presented as the 2022 European Shooting Stars at the 72nd Berlinale. The Shooting Stars programme gives the actors an opportunity to meet casting directors, producers, filmmakers and the international press during the festival and expand their network. The German Shooting Star for 2022 is Emilio Sakraya.

Petra Müller, CEO of the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW: "Selection as a European Shooting Star is a very special distinction for young actors that opens many doors. We express our heartfelt congratulations to Emilio Sakraya and wish him every success for his future career in the German and international film business."

Born in Berlin in 1996, Sakraya has appeared in numerous productions in recent years. Most recently, he starred under the direction of Fatih Akin in the Filmstiftung-backed drama "Rheingold" which is based on rapper Xatar’s autobiography. The versatile actor became known to a wider audience through his role as Tarik Schmüll in the successful film franchise "Bibi & Tina" (since 2014). This was followed by further film and TV roles, including in "NSU: German History X" and "Die 7. Stunde". At the end of 2016, the actor appeared in the RTL remake of "Winnetou" as Neke Bah. This was followed by roles in episodes of the "Tatort" series, the cult series "4 Blocks", and in the international Netflix fantasy series "Warrior Nun". Since 2021, he has played one of the main teenage characters in the German Netflix series "Tribes of Europa". Moreover, he starred in the Filmstiftung-backed productions "Rock My Heart" (2017), "How To Be Really Bad" (2018), "Cold Feet" (2018) and "Saving The World Known To Us" (2021). He could be seen in "One Night Off" on Amazon Prime since the end of December 2021 .

Other European Shooting Stars this year include: Gracija Filipović (Croatia), Marie Reuther (Denmark), Anamaria Vartolomei (France), Clare Dunne (Ireland), João Nunes Monteiro (Portugal), Timon Sturbej (Slovenia), Evin Ahmad (Sweden), Souheila Yacoub (Switzerland), and Hanna van Vliet (The Netherlands), who had recently been in NRW to work with director Saskia Diesing on the shoot of "Lost Transport," an international co-production by Cologne-based Coin Film.

The European Shooting Stars programme is supported by the European Union’s MEDIA programme as well as the participating EFP member organizations and other cooperation partners. The European Shooting Stars initiative has existed since 1998, making this year its 25th edition. From the outset, the showcase has been supported by the Film- und Medienstiftung NRW. Previous German Shooting Stars have included Albrecht Schuch, Emma Drogunova, Nina Hoss, Louis Hofmann, Jella Haase, Franz Rogowski, Anna Maria Mühe, Moritz Bleibtreu and Jürgen Vogel.

For more information: Film- und Medienstiftung NRW, Tanja Guess, phone: +49211-93050-23,