A SUSSEX schoolgirl has been heralded as one to watch after kick-starting her acting career with an appearance in a spooky new film.

Roedean pupil Sophie Atkins was one of just six cast members to star in director Maria Martinez Bayona’s film Such Small Hands, based on the novel of the same name.

The feature, shot in Hastings in 2019, featured in the London Short Film Festival.

The 12-year-old's hopes of a red carpet premiere were dashed by the coronavirus crisis, but she and her family were still able to see the Year 8 pupil's name in lights as they cosied up to watch the film from the comfort of their home.

Her mum, Amanda, said: "Watching Sophie in such a dark creepy film was a slightly disturbing experience but I couldn’t be more proud.

"Sophie seems to be very at home in front of the camera. It was a shame not to experience the red carpet treatment at a West End premiere, but it was also lovely to be able to snuggle up and watch the film in the comfort of our own home.”

However, how Sophie earned her role in the film was far from straightforward.

Amanda explained: "After four rounds of auditions which took place in 2019, Sophie was thrilled to find out she had made it into the small group of actors who were cast as the film’s orphan main characters, which the film centres around.

“It was shot at the eerie site of the old Holy Child Jesus Catholic college in Hastings over the space of a week in summer 2019 – and Sophie was even more delighted about being in the film then as it coincided with her school exams!

“The post-production stage of the film was heavily delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic but was finally finished at Christmas in time to premiere at the London Short Film Festival 2021."

Despite the huge challenge of acting in a film, Sophie said she thoroughly enjoyed her time on set.

She said: "The filming process was so exciting. It was such an experience to be away from home with some girls that I barely knew and to come back a week later with so many new friends and memories from both on and off set.

"The memories will last forever. It was also amazing to see how the hours and hours of shooting came out in the final version of the film. I feel very lucky to have had this opportunity.”

And now her school's head of theatre arts, Katy Markey, says she cannot wait to see what the future holds for young Sophie and her fledgling career on the silver screen.

She said: "We are so proud of Sophie for landing her exciting role in this film and thought her performance was fantastic.

"We are also really excited about what the future holds for Sophie and are so looking forward to doing further work with her to help her reach her huge potential."