Kacey Mottet Klein is Switzerland’s Shooting Star 2016
The exceptionally talented actor from French-speaking Switzerland will represent Switzerland as the Shooting Star at the 66th Berlinale 2016 (February 11-21). With its Shooting Stars Award, EFP promotes Europe’s most talented actors every year.
15.12.2015
Kacey Mottet Klein makes his film debut at the age of ten in Ursula Meier’s “Home” (2008) – and wins the Swiss Film Award for Best Emerging Actor right away. In 2015 “Keeper”, the latest film with the 17-year-old Mottet Klein in the leading role, celebrates his world premiere at the Festival del film Locarno. This coproduction has since won numerous international awards. Now the exceptionally talented actor from French-speaking Switzerland will represent Switzerland as the Shooting Star at the 66th Berlinale 2016 (February 11-21). With its Shooting Stars Award, EFP promotes Europe’s most talented actors every year.
Kacey Mottet Klein was born in 1998 in Lausanne, the son of an American father and Swiss mother. At the age of ten he was cast for Ursula Meier’s film “Home”. He made his film debut alongside Isabelle Huppert and won the Swiss Film Award. In 2010 he played the role of the young Serge Gainsbourg in “Gainsbourg: - A Heroic Life” by Joann Sfar (2010) and made a name for himself in France as well.
“Sister”: Swiss Film Award & César nomination
Mottet Klein performs again for Ursula Meier in 2012: his role alongside Léa Seydoux in “Sister”, honoured with the Silver Bear at the Berlinale, garners him yet another Swiss Film Award and a César nomination. Since then, Kacey Mottet Klein has played a role in many acclaimed European film productions. In 2015 he stars in the leading role of two films: in the Belgian-Swiss-French production “Keeper” by Guillaume Senez, coproduced by Louise Productions; and together with Mathilde Seigner in the French film “Une mere” by Christine Carrière. In 2016 he will have a leading role in another French film, this time in André Téchiné’s “Quand on a 17 ans”, also starring Sandrine Kiberlain.
“Keeper”: Kacey Mottet Klein makes it big
In “Keeper” Kacey Mottet Klein plays the part of 15-year-old Maxime, who wants to persuade his pregnant girlfriend Mélanie to keep their child. The striking Swiss coproduction premiered in the Cineasti del presente section in Locarno in 2015 and was awarded the Europa Cinemas Label. It was subsequently screened at numerous festivals, including the Toronto International Film Festival TIFF, and recently in competition at the Festival international du film de Marrakech. The debut film “Keeper” was honoured with awards in Namur, Hamburg and Torino. The film is already showing in cinemas in the French part of Switzerland, with the start in German-speaking Switzerland scheduled for spring 2016.
Ten European Shooting Stars
Apart from Kacey Mottet Klein, the following European actors have been selected as Shooting Stars: Martha Canga Antonio (“Black”, Belgium), Tihana Lazovic (“The High Sun”, Croatia), Lou de Laâge (“The Wait”, France), Reinout Scholten van Aschat (“Beyond Sleep”, The Netherlands), Jella Haase (“Four Kings”, Germany), María Valverde (“Exodus”, Spain), Atli Óskar Fjalarsson (“Sparrows”, Iceland), Sara Serraiocco (“Chlorine”, Italy) and Daphné Patakia (“Interruption”, Greece). During the 66th Berlinale, the young talents have the opportunity to meet with international film professionals and attend networking events.
European Film Promotion & Talent Exchange
The European Film Promotion (EFP) is comprised of 36 European promotion and marketing organisations aiming to bolster European films. SWISS FILMS is one of the ten founding members. The Shooting Stars Event is just one of the numerous initiatives by European Film Promotion geared towards fostering Europe’s best acting talent. The event has evolved into a notable talent exchange for young actors from all over Europe. It has served as a stepping stone in the careers of many Shooting Stars, including the Swiss talents Joel Basman and Carla Juri, as well as the German actors Moritz Bleibtreu and Daniel Brühl, the Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher and for the French actress Ludivine Sagnier. In 2015 Sven Schelker (“The Circle”) was Switzerland’s Shooting Star in Berlin.
More information and images for downloading
SWISS FILMS, December 15, 2015