Norway's Anders Baasmo Christiansen and Finland's Pihla Viitala (photo) have been selected from a list of 21 promising European talents as this year's European Film Promotion's ‘Shooting Stars'. They will attend the upcoming Berlinale from February 13-15.
Christiansen who graduated from the Oslo National Academy of Arts, had his international breakthrough last year in Berlin with Rune Denstad Langlo's debut feature North. He also appeared in Arn-the Knight Templar, Christian Loe's Best Friends, Gunnar Vikene's Vegas and will be seen in 2010 in Hans Petter Moland's Bad Accounting (Regnskap).
The 27 year-old Viitala started her film career with JP Siili's Ganes (2007). She subsequently appeared in the Iceland film Reykjavik Whale Watching Massacre by Julius Kemp, the Finnish hit Hellsinki by Aleksi Mäkelä and Aku Louhimies' Tears of April. Her next appearance will be in Aleksi Salmenperä's Bad Family (Paha perhe) to be released domestically in January 21.