Max Hubacher – Swiss Shooting Star 2012 at the 62nd International Film Festival Berlin

Eighteen-year-old Max Hubacher convinced the jury of his performance in the title role of the film "The Foster Boy": "In a performance of beautiful clarity, Hubacher conveys the struggle, suffering and will to survive of his Foster Boy with enlightening authenticity. Given his young age, it is impressive how he is able to make such a strong and moving connection with the audience."
The feature film by Markus Imboden, produced by C-Films in Zurich in collaboration with Bremedia Produktion in Germany, tells the fateful story of young Max (Max Hubacher) and a girl who is cruelly exploited and humiliated by her foster parents, starring Katja Riemann and Stefan Kurt. The role of Max is Hubacher's second leading role in a feature film. In "Stationspiraten" (director: Michael Schaerer; production: Zodiac Pictures, Lucerne) he played the role of Michi, a cancer patient. The young actor has been cast for a minor role in "Nachtzug nach Lissabon" (director: Bille August), scheduled for release in the cinema in 2013.

Passion for acting
Max Hubacher had a taste of theatre already at the age of seven, with performances in a children's theatre awakening his passion for the stage. At the age of 13, Max Hubacher appeared in the Schauspielhaus Zürich, playing the role of Paul in "Liebestraum" by Robert Walser (director: Thomas Koerfer). Since 2007 Hubacher has been a member of the "14+ Youth Theatre Club" affiliated with the Schlachthaus Theater in Bern.
Director Markus Imboden ("The Foster Boy") describes his performance in film as follows: "Max takes his role very seriously and works on it wholeheartedly. It was wonderful to see how he had prepared for the part, and even greater to see how he was able to liberate himself more and more from his mental image of the role and completely give himself up to the moment." Within just five weeks, "The Foster Boy" had already sold more than 160'000 tickets in cinemas in Switzerland.

Europe's best young actors
From February 11-13, 2012, EFP will place the young, talented European actors and actresses in the limelight on Berlin's Potsdamer Platz. Apart from Max Hubacher, the other actors and actresses are: Adèle Haenel (France), Anna Maria Mühe (Germany), Antonia Campbell-Hughes (Ireland), Hilmar Guðjónsson (Iceland), Isabella Ragonese (Italy), Jakub Gierszal (Poland), Ana Ularu (Rumania), Bill Skarsgård (Sweden), Riz Ahmed (Great Britain). This year the members of EFP nominated 23 actors and actresses.

International Jury
The members of the international jury include: Danish actor Thure Lindhardt, Dutch director Marleen Gorris, Rumanian producer Ada Solomon, German casting agent Simone Bär and British film journalist Matt Mueller.

European Film Promotion
EFP is a pan-European film promotion and export organization located in Hamburg and supported by the EU's MEDIA Programme. It was founded in 1997 in Berlin, with SWISS FILMS as one of its founding members. Since its inception, EFP has since taken numerous opportunities to organise high-profile events for European films, one of which is the unique Shooting Stars event.

Talent exchange for actors from all over Europe
Over the past fifteen years the Shooting Stars event has evolved into a label and become a talent exchange for actors and actresses from all over Europe. It has served as a stepping stone in the careers of many Shootings Stars, including German actor Moritz Bleibtreu, Italian actress Alba Rohrwacher, French actress Cécile de France and Swiss actors and actresses Carlos Leal, Mona Petri, Joel Basman and Nils Althaus, among others.

Zurich, December 8, 2011