Aisling Franciosi has been turning a lot of heads in recent years, and for good reason.
Irish actress Aisling Franciosi has been selected as a European Shooting Star at the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale), one of 10 up-and-coming talents from right across Europe identified as stars in the making.
Franciosi, a classically trained singer and pianist, will be known to Game of Thrones fans as Lady Lyanna Stark, Ned’s late sister, whom she portrayed in flashbacks during the sixth and seventh seasons of the HBO phenomenon.
Clip via David Šalanský
She has also starred in The Fall – for which she won an IFTA for Best Actress in a Supporting Role in 2015 – and, more recently, The Nightingale, which premiered at the Venice Festival earlier this year and won the Special Jury Prize.
The Shooting Star selection process is incredibly competitive but the jury were very impressed with Aisling‘s “great acting range and superb instincts” in The Nightingale, directed by Jennifer Kent.
The Shooting Star has been a pretty reliable indicator of future talent over the years; Domhnall Gleeson and Ruth Negga both received the honour in the past, while other recipients in its 22-year history include Alicia Vikander and Matthias Schoenaerts.
Commenting on her selection, Franciosi said: “I am so thrilled and consider it a great honour to be chosen as a Shooting Star — particularly by such a jury. Actors I really admire have been selected as a Shooting Star in the past, so it feels a little surreal!
“I owe so much to the people I have been lucky enough to work with from the beginning, but particularly to Jennifer Kent who took a chance on me and trusted me with The Nightingale. It’s a role and a project I will never forget. It’s a film I will always be proud of.”
Having been selected for a Shooting Star, Franciosi and her fellow nominees will be presented to the film industry, public and international press at an event during the 69th Berlin International Film Festival in February.
In addition to the public exposure, the programme provides a special platform for the Stars to meet casting directors, producers and filmmakers in one-on-one meetings, offering a unique opportunity to create the personal contacts and networks needed to embark upon an international career.
Commenting on Aisling’s selection, the five-person jury, including Irish producer Macdara Kelleher, said: “Aisling Franciosi forms a powerful symbiosis with her character in Jennifer Kent’s The Nightingale, thus revealing great acting range and superb instincts, as well as profound sensitivity and intelligence in the way she interprets a scene.
“Her physical transformation is exceptional, morphing spectacularly into Joan of Arc from a young and fragile woman, all the while masterfully and carefully controlling her performance.”
Remember the name, you’re going to be hearing it a lot of in future.
