“Ali and Nino” actress among 10 European Shooting Stars
By Amina Nazarli
The European Film Promotion has revealed the young actors selected as the 2016 European Shooting Stars.
Ten talented actors, who were selected by a jury of industry experts, will be presented to the movie world during the opening weekend of the 66th Berlin Film Festival held on February 11-21, 2016.
Spanish actress Maria Valverde, who shot at the “Ali and Nino” film, based on a novel with the same name by an Azerbaijani writer, was also primed for the lead female role.
The other Shooting Stars are Martha Canga Antonio (Belgium), Tihana Lazovic (Croatia), Lou de Laage (France), Jella Haase (Germany), Daphne Patakia (Greece), Atli Oskar Fjalarsson (Iceland), Sara Serraiocco (Italy), Reinout Scholten van Aschat (The Netherlands), and Kacey Mottet Klein (Switzerland).
The jury was composed of Romanian actor Anamaria Marinca, Italian producer Marta Donzelli, Greek film director Constantine Giannaris, German film editor and critic Tobias Kniebe, and Danish casting director Rie Hedegaard.
At the Berlinale, the 10 selected actresses and actors will take part in a weekend of profile-raising workshops and events alongside members of the International Casting Directors Network, agents and filmmakers. They will also attend interviews and photo-shoots with international media. The program of events will conclude with the red carpet awards ceremony at the Berlinale Palast.
Valverde had previously co-starred in "Cracks" alongside Eva
Green and Juno Temple, a 2009 film directed by Ridley Scott's
daughter Jordan, and has prominent parts in 2015 drama "Broken
Horses" (with Anton Yelchin) and 2016 action film "400 Boys."
Her interpretation of Nino's character is moving, emotional and
honest; it's very clear that she will be the beating heart of our
movie," said director Asif Kapadia in a quote carried by
Deadline.
Adam Bakri, who starred as the title character in 2013's high
stakes romantic thriller "Omar," played the role of Ali opposite
Maria Valverde's Nino.
Filming on the Kapadia and Hampton vision of "Ali and Nino" is scheduled to start in February.
The premiere of the film will take place in January 2016 at the prestigious American Sundance Film Festival, in Park City, Utah.
The film is based on a 1937 historical romance by the national writer Kurban Said. The story sets against the historical backdrop of World War I on the eve of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia. The tragic story of Ali Khan Shirvanshir, the male descendant of a royal Muslim family, and Nino Kipiani, a beautiful, Christian, Georgian princess, is described in this epic love novel.
Ali and Nino live in the oil-rich capital of Azerbaijan which at the beginning of the 20th century was a melting pot of different cultures. Despite differences in cultures, they have loved each other since childhood, and Ali is determined to marry Nino as soon as she leaves school.
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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow her on
Twitter: @amina_nazarli
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