The actors will be introduced to international casting directors, producers and filmmakers at next month’s Berlin Film Festival.
Twenty-eight-year-old Bielenia has won critical acclaim and popularity for his role in Polish director Jan Komasa's Corpus Christi, which has made the Oscar shortlist in the best international feature film category.
The European Shooting Stars programme is run by the European Film Promotion (EFP) network of cinema marketing organizations from 35 countries.
A jury of Shooting Stars experts wrote of Bielenia: "The sinner and the saint. The devil and the angel. If you doubt that these opposites can meet in one man, think again. Because Bartosz Bielenia will make you believe. With this seemingly infinite faculties he walks the maddening paths of despair and redemption.
“With this mesmerizing presence he makes you want to join him on these walks. While at the same time he carries a whole movie on his shoulders. Shall we explain his talents? Impossible. Let's just call them magic."
Bielenia is a 2016 graduate of the National Academy of Theatre Arts in Kraków. While still a student, he was a member of the city’s Stary Theatre. In 2018, he joined the Nowy Theatre company in Warsaw.
The remaining 2020 Shooting Stars come from Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Georgia, Portugal, Switzerland, the Netherlands and France.
In previous years, six Polish actors were named Shooting Stars: Agnieszka Grochowska (2007), Agata Buzek (2010), Jakub Gierszał (2012), Mateusz Kościukiewicz (2014), Zofia Wichłacz (2017) and Dawid Ogrodnik (2019).
(mk/pk)