Actress Julia Stiles was inspired to write and direct her new short movie Raving after being accosted by a tearful stranger on the streets of her native New York. Stiles' film is being screened at the city's TriBeCa Film Festival, which began earlier this week.

She says, "I was walking down the street, and this girl randomly stopped me and was hysterically crying. She asked me for money, saying she just needed to get home. I started thinking about that - what would it take to ask a stranger for money, especially if it was a lie? And I just started writing."

The Bourne Identity star Stiles has grown to accept being stopped by strangers. She adds, "Having grown up in New York, you naturally don't trust strangers. There's a wall. When you have to be more open to communicating with strangers, it's funny. When people are hollering at you, for instance, normally I'd never turn around. But I have to assume it's non-threatening if someone recognises me."

-Julia Stiles Pictures

(This news article provided by World Entertainment News Network)