A DENHAM actress has taken the lead in a new film which has been previewed at the glitzy and glamorous Cannes International Film Festival and set for release later in the year.

Suzanne Kendall stars as lead role Sarah McGuire as she tries to escape the humdrum of everyday life.

Kendall, who has lived in Denham since 2007, has worked with Palm Tree Entertainment before which is based at Pinewood Film Studio in Iver Heath.

She first worked with director and producer Robbie Moffat in 2006 and says they have a “great creative relationship”. So much so that she is involved in the whole process, including writing the script.

Kendall added: “Robbie is very good at writing characters we all know from our every day life. I think everyone would enjoy it because there is a great diversity of characters in the film.”

Sarah McGuire's life is in a terminal nose dive with a dodgy boss who sets her impossible targets, a chauvinist car mechanic boyfriend who treats her like dirt and awkward customers. Her only release is her passion for running.

Her life starts to make a change for the better when a Liverpool barman, who takes pity on her, and gives her a list of ten running routes through beautiful landscapes.

It is on her tenth run that she meets the man of her dreams, Duncan, who she falls head over heels in love with.

Kendall said: “I liked the character. I admired her. She had the intelligence and ambition to change things in her life and to change things that were holding her back- we could all do with doing that. Are you ever brave enough- probably not.

“It is a gradual dawning process. She is in an unhappy relationship- in a job she doesn't like. I think it is the distance from her own life which gives her a different perspective.”

The film previewed at the Cannes International Film Festival where Kendall also showed her own short film.

She said the short film was “made in a hurry” but “turned out really well”.

Kendall added: “It was a nice opportunity to try a bit of new writing. I found this writer called Daniel Stone who writes for the stage. He had written this wonderful monologue.

“He is a student at the moment but he is soon to graduate. It is called Maureen. There are some resemblances to Sarah McGuire in Got to Run.

“They are both on a journey to self discovery.”

Kendall has just finished performing in a play called Eight at the Kings Head Theatre in Islington. She will next star in Lear and His Daughters, also at the Kings Head.

She said; “The lifestyle of the theatre is very crazy. You spend a lot of time in the dark in the summer.- all the nerves and emotions of going out on stage.

“I always like to make sure when I am doing a show at the moment I am in the bar afterwards. The audience always come up and say what they think about it which is fantastic.”

Got to Run will première in Leicester Square in October. For more details about Suzanne go to www.suzannekendall.com