Success For Chiswick Actress At Film Festival In Ireland

Says the supportive local environment for the arts helped her pursue her career

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Chiswick local Brooke Burfitt took home the Best Actress award at the Wexford Film Festival in Ireland last weekend. It was the first screening of the feature length thriller By Any Means, in which Burfitt plays the lead role of Mimi Wyatt – a C-list reality show star.

Brooke Burfitt actress

Brooke grew up in Chiswick on Duke Road, and attended the Lady Eleanor Holles School. She studied for a degree in Economics and Business, with East European Studies, at University College London. After graduating, she attended RADA and was cast in a number of independent British films.

Her parents still live in Chiswick (her mother is Louise Burfitt-Dons, a local activist and campaigner), and Brooke feels her time in West London inspired her to follow her dreams. She says;"Chiswick has a great supportive community for the Arts, so it never seemed beyond the realms of a possibility to pursue a career as an actress."

The role of Mimi was her most challenging to date. “Mimi is calculating and ego-centric and so her personality makes it difficult for you to sympathize with her during a traumatic ordeal. But it was fascinating because it is such a different role to the sweet girl-next-door I would normally play. I have never had to push myself like that before.”

The movie was shot last autumn in New York. The plot revolves around what happens after Mimi gets kidnapped following a night-club appearance. Her kidnapper, Frank Watson (Thomas Gipson), holds her hostage for a ransom of $123,000. He is a desperate man in need of cash to save his terminally ill daughter. Mimi must work out how to raise the money, but will the police believe her version of events? The film also stars US reality show stars Jonathan Cheban (Keeping Up with The Kardashians) and Michelle Money (The Bachelorette).

The movie also went on to win Best Film, with the director Leighton Spence collecting both awards at the ceremony.

For more information about the film, check out www.byanymeans2016.com.

November 30, 2016


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