Blackpool man Ryan J Smith so proud to have his film screened at town's Regent Cinema

Blackpool filmmaker Ryan J Smith is delighted that his debut feature fil, 'Lottery', is being screened at The Regent in the resort.

Blackpool man Ryan J Smith’s drama ‘Lottery’ is to be shown at the art deco cinema, on the corner of Church Street and Regent Road, this Friday (November 18) at 7.30pm.

Rick Taylor, of the independent Regent, said: “We’re proud to promote local films and Ryan is really good.

"This shows what talent there is here in Blackpool and we need to support it.”

Blackpool's Regent Cinema all set to screen Ryan J Smith's debut feature 'Lotte...

The film, which was shot in Blackpool and St Annes, sees a young tearaway winning the lottery, but he risks losing it all when he becomes embroiled in a toxic love triangle with a pair of recovering scam artists.

Ryan, 24, wrote and produced the piece himself, working through his own independent film company.

He is a graduate movie of the MetFilm school, which is based at Ealing Studios near London.

Rick Taylor, owner of the Regent Cinema in Blackpool, is proud to be screening the Ryan J Smith's film, Lottery

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

He said: “I’ve spent a few years in London but I’m more interested in filming up here in the North West, showing places that people don’t normally see.

"And I’ve found that people up here are much more friendly to filmmakers, it’s been a really good experience for me.

"It means a lot to be able have the film shown here at Blackpool, where I’m from, and I also like the idea of working with small independent cinemas rather than big chains.”

However, Ryan is keen to have his films shown to as big an audience as possible and says that the availability of streaming via Amazon Prime brings the possibility of a huge global audience.

The film is expected to be released through that platform at some point near Christmas.

‘Lottery’ features of a cast of London-based actors, headed by Mitchell Fisher and Niamh Branigan.

Ryan is not one to rest on his laurels – filming for his next feature film, a thriller called ‘Talking to Ghosts’, begins on Saturday.

Locations include Thornton and St Annes.