A fledgling film maker shot his debut movie in Croydon and Sutton - with a little help from his friends.

Anthony Roberts, 27, directed, produced and starred in Mistaken, a thriller about hit men set on the boroughs' meanest streets.

He also served as screenwriter, special effects artist and editor for the film - which he made in three years without professional actors.

Instead, Mr Roberts, from Epsom, "begged, bribed and cajoled" family and friends into turning Thespian.

He said: "Besides the constant challenge of getting ten or more working stiffs to all take same day off for filming and praying the weather would cooperate, he biggest problem was keeping the cast involved and willing.

"One friend, assigned a major role, failed to show up for the second and third shoots, only to find his character instantly killed off as soon as we could get him back on set."

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Mistaken will premiere at Wandsworth Cineworld on Saturday

The crew faced challenges aplenty, not least blowing up Nonsuch Mansion with a limited special effects budget and being collared by police after a passery-by bizarrely mistook a camera for a bazooka.

But Mr Roberts said: "The biggest surprise though was watching the actors grow throughout the movie, many of them displaying surprising natural ability." 

The film will premiere on Saturday, four years after Mr Roberts dreamt up the idea, with box office showings and possible DVD release lined up next.

Mistaken will be premiere at Wandsworth Cineworld on Saturday, July 20 at 6pm. Tickets are still available.