Thandie And Theda

ACTRESS Thandie Newton has been dressed by British designers including Matthew Williamsonand Jenny Packham for a photoshoot where she emulates silent movie heroine Theda Bara as Cleopatra in 1917. The pictures, taken by celebrity portraitist Lorenzo Agius, are to celebrate the launch of the 2010 Virgin Media Shorts competition - of which Newton is a judge.

"The history of the short film and its early stars isn't something that's well known or documented, so to kick off this year's Virgin Media Shorts we wanted to do something that would commemorate one of the early legends like Theda Bara - she was a true, avant-garde screen heroine," Newton explained. "Her spirit and passion is in essence what I'll be looking for as a judge in this year's Virgin Media Shorts entries."

The shoot was styled by British film stylist Suzie Harman who worked on Rock'n'Rolla with Newton and sees the actress pictured in outfits by British designers.