The owner of a Bridgeport martial arts academy says he'll be making his big screen debut in an independent film set to be released at the Toronto International Film Festival this fall.

H. Demetrius Purefoy, owner of Pure Martial Arts Fitness Academy, says he went to California last year to play a part in "The Pugilist." A portion of the movie, however, was filmed at his business on the East Side.

He says the South American director has family in Bridgeport and discovered him while scouting out locations for his film.

"The connection between my school, what I do in the school with students, was that character in the movie. So that was really exciting and it made it that much easier to actually play the part because I've been playing it for 20 years in the martial arts school," Purefoy says.

The proud Air Force veteran says "The Pugilist" is a love story about redemption and he plans to work with the director on future projects.