A DREAM has come true for a budding film maker at the age of 24.

Luke Hupton started filming when he took a media course at a college in Salford and has just completed and premiered his first feature film.

Memory Lane was filmed around Luke’s hometown of Astley, with Tyldesley Cemetery and Chowbent Chapel in Atherton both making an appearance, and was shown for the first time at the Cornerhouse in Manchester last week.

“It was just a dream come true to see my film on the big screen,” said Luke.

“It’s been a long process – we raised £15,000 through kick-starter and match funding and filmed between September 7 and 24 last year. We finished the film two days before it screened on April 26.

“It was very emotional. There were a lot of people there who had been involved in the film but never seen any of it. Even my college tutor came down which was amazing because she was the person who gave me the confidence to do this.”

He describes the film as a whimsical northern fairytale, about a divorced GP who is gifted a bespoke door that sends him back 25 years into the past to his 27th year in search of the only woman he ever loved.

“We got some really good reviews from the screening so now we will send them off to film festivals across the world and see what happens,” he said.

Making a cameo in the film is the Rev Brenda Catterall, from Chowbent Chapel, who conducts a wedding in the film.

“I have done hundreds of weddings but this was a first. I’ve never been nervous before,” she said.

“Seeing the film was amazing though. he has done a great job and is clearly very talented.”