48 Hour Film Project sees penniless Hackney actor pull together spoof Western

A penniless actor from Finsbury Park watched his directorial debut on the big screen after a frantic week pulling together friends and strangers to make a spoof Western in the space of just 48 hours.

Stephen Riseborough from Portland Rise, in Finsbury Park made Pescatore’s Dog as part of the 48 Hour Film Project, which saw 45 teams from across the UK writing, shooting and editing a short film within the tight deadline.

Stephen pulled together a team of 16 friends and complete strangers recruited online at the last minute to make the seven minute film, which had to use the line of dialogue, “Let me tell you a secret.”

“I’ve never directed a film before so it was a pretty crazy thing to do,” said Stephen, an actor and comedian.

“I threw myself in at the deep end. It took me at least a week to recover from the physical effort.”

‘Glove’, by ‘They Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For’ won best film and will go against other international winners for Best 48 Hour Film 2012.