Shooting Stars at the 4th Zurich Film Festival

Touring Shooting Stars Film Programme bringing young acting talents and their films to Switzerland

European Film Promotion (EFP) will be bringing Shooting Stars to the Zurich Film Festival (25.09. - 5.10.08) for the first time. Joel Basman (Switzerland), and Maryam Hassouni (The Netherlands) will be representing their countries’ cinematographies in Zurich and are being integrated into exclusive events at the Swiss festival. The project is being supported financially by the MEDIA Programme of the EU.

EFP developed the Touring Shooting Stars Film Programme in 2002 with the aim of making European films and young acting talents known beyond their national borders as well as increasing the chances of international sales. The young and ambitious Zurich Film Festival has already made its mark with the audience and industry after only three years and offers the selected international actors many opportunities to generate discussion about themselves and their films. Two of 2008’s nine Shooting Stars are being involved in the promotion of their films and events of the Zurich Film Festival between 3 – 5 October.

Newly conceived in 2008, the Shooting Stars programme, which presented nine European actors chosen by a jury for the first time at the Berlin Film Festival within a larger framework, provides for the continuation of promotion and support measures for Shooting Stars throughout the whole year. Apart from the presentation of their films in Zurich, the young actors will be offered an opportunity through participation in the Master Classes to exchange experiences and develop intensive and lasting international contacts. The workshop-style Master Classes in Zurich will be held with the German producer Peter Rommel, the Greek-French screenwriter and director Costa-Gavras, and this year’s jury president who will be made known on 12 September. A major retrospective is being dedicated to the Oscar-winner Costa-Gavras in Zurich. Moreover, Swiss Films, EFP’s member in Switzerland, will be holding a dinner in honour of the actors, and this event will be attended by German Shooting Star 2005, Max Riemelt, and the former Swiss Shooting Stars Martin Rapold, Soraya Gomaa, Michael Finger, Mona Petri, Michael Koch, Johanna Bantzer, Carlos Leal and Nils Althaus.

Shooting Stars and their films at Zurich Film Festival

Joel Basman will be presenting TAUSEND OZEANE by Luki Frieden

Swiss Shooting Star 2008

Born in Zurich, Joel Basman was discovered during a casting call for MEIN NAME IST EUGEN (2005). He appeared in the successful Swiss TV series „LÃ¼thi & Blanc“ between 2004 and 2006. Niklaus Hilber gave him the lead in CANNABIS. He was cast as a rapper in BREAKOUT by Mike Eschmann. In 2007, Joel showed evidence of his talent in the role of an autistic boy in the TV film „Jimmie” by Tobias Ineichen. In Luki Frieden’s TAUSEND OZEANE (2008), he appeared with Max Riemelt and Thierry van Werveke. He recently was to be seen in Dominique de Rivaz's new feature film LIFE FOR SALE (LUFTBUSINESS) as one of three outsiders who auction themselves off in the Internet. In 2008, Christoph Schaub engaged him for SWEET LIFE. Joel has been studying at the European Film Actor School in Zurich since 2006.

Maryam Hassouni will be presenting DUNYA & DESIE by Dana Nechushtan

Shooting Star Netherlands 2008.

Maryam Hassouni was born in Amsterdam as a daughter of Moroccan parents. She studied Museology until 2005 and is currently reading Law at the Free University in Amsterdam. She posted her first major success as an actress with the role of Dunya in the feted television series „Dunya and Desie“. In 2005, Maryam played the lead in the film SACRIFICES by the prize-winning director Dana Nechushtan and won an Emmy in the

category of „Best Actress“ for her portrayal of a young terrorist. The same year, she played the lead in the television series „Shouf Shouf!“, based on the box-office hit SHOUF SHOUF HABIBI!. After that, Maryam played opposite Monique Hendrickx (Shooting Star Netherlands 2005) in Albert ter Heerdt’s film KICKS. She reprised her role as Dunya for Dana Nechushtan’s feature film DUNYA & DESIE which was released in the cinemas in April 2008.

More information on Shooting Stars: click here

More information on Zurich Film Festival: www.zurichfilmfestival.org

Contact EFP:

Karin Dix
project manager
+49 40- 390 6252
dix@efp-online.com

Mareen Gerisch
press relations manager
+49 40- 390 6252
gerisch@efp-online.com

Contact Zurich Film Festival:

Nina Grewenkamp
press manager
+41 44- 286 6000
nina.grewenkamp@zurichfilmfestival.org

EFP is supported by the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and by its member organisations. In addition, promotion and PR activities are backed by the Centre National de la CinÃ©matographie (CNC) as well as by private sponsors. The project „Touring Shooting Stars Film Programm“ moreover is supported by the Zurich Film Festival. The Hamburg-based office is financially supported by the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media and the Department for Culture, Sports and Media of the City of Hamburg.