Starlet with an edge

Rising NZ star Emily Barclay has been named Best Actress at Australia’s Inside Film Awards for her role as an amoral teenage single mother in the black comedy Suburban Mayhem. In what are referred to as the people’s choice awards, the Australian public voted via the internet and SMS to give Barclay the accolade, over more established nominees including Hollywood actress Laura Linney. Barclay has also been nominated for Best Lead Actress in the prestigious Australian Film Institute Awards, announced on 7 December. A Sydney Morning Herald profile calls Barclay “New Zealand’s hottest acting export since Keisha Castle-Hughes and Anna Paquin” and includes glowing tributes from those who have worked with her so far. “Em is pretty special,” says Suburban Mayhem director Paul Goldman. “She’s going to go off and have an amazing career.” Next up for the 22-year-old is Bronte, in which she stars along with Michelle Williams and Nathalie Press as the Bronte sisters. Filming begins in England in March.