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Last Dance

A couple of years ago I posted these five thoughts after taking part in a night shoot in Peckham for a short film and, later, mentioned doing a few more shots another night. After being finished, and doing the rounds of film festivals, that film, Last Dance by Danny Gibbons and Alex Scott, is now available to watch online for free.

It’s over on YouTube or, hopefully, right here:

I’m pleased with my small part in that. In the same year, 2019, I had three vaguely similar roles – silent, creepy, otherworldly man wearing a suit (as I mentioned in this post) – and this one was the most interesting and fun to perform.

Last Dance has won a few short film awards including, most recently, the Méliès d’Or for Best Short Film at Sitges Film Festival.

Here’s a clip on Twitter of the announcement:

Allow me to, ahem, record what the guy says about the film, quoting the awards jury, for posterity:

Its ability to terrify us, which is already of special merit at the Sitges Festival … for the way in which the filmmakers represent female fears using the metaphor of one of the most chilling dancing monsters we have seen in many years, the wonderful Philip Gyford.

Thank you, thank you.

Oh, while I’m doing this blowing of my own trumpet I might as well include these quotes that I recently added to my page for me as an actor, from reviews of Last Dance:

Gyford is a presence when he arrives on the scene…

Marc OC, OC Movie Reviews

And also:

Philip Gyford delivers a stunning performance purely through abnormal physicality.

Nathaniel Eker, UK Film Review

Of course I had by far the smallest, most silent, part in the film and so big congrats to Shian Denovan for her actual good acting in this, and Danny and Alex for writing and directing and getting the whole thing together.