New film shot in Garstang, Blackpool and Lytham St Annes premieres this month

Lottery is the first feature film by 24-year-old Ryan J Smith and was shot in November last year.

Described as a Lancashire-centric movie, it was also filmed in Blackpool and Ryan’s hometown of Lytham St Annes.

“I grew up in a lot of the shooting locations,” said Ryan.

“I’m also just very loyal to Lancashire. The region is very accessible and friendly towards filmmakers, as is the case with most places in the North of England.

"There are no landmark shots in the movie, so in that respect, there was never any reason to shoot in a major city.”

Ryan’s idea for Lottery came to him while studying at the famous Metfilm School. It focuses on a young tearaway who wins the lottery but risks losing it all.

After two years unsuccessfully pitching the idea to studio and production companies across the country, Ryan decided to set up his own film studio, Skint Film Company, and raised the money to make the film by working for a year as a photographer in a Botox clinic.

“Lack of time and resources are always the pitfalls with filmmaking. There’s never enough of either,” Ryan said.

“The goal with this movie was to make £7,000 feel like £700,000, that's always been our angle with promoting Lottery.”

The film will be premiered at the Regent Cinema in Blackpool on November 18 with a possible longer run in more cinemas next year and will be hitting streaming services this winter.