Some people will be shocked by it - and a lot of people will love it. That was the verdict of director Michael Booth on his gritty first feature-film Diary of a Bad Lad which is all set to take the film-world by storm.

The film has been a labour of love for Michael, 33, of Richmond Crescent, Knuzden, his producer Jon Williams and his loyal crew of actors and production staff.

Dubbed a jet-black comedy by its creators, it revolves around frustrated film-maker Barry Licks (played by Jon).

He wants to make a documentary about the seedy criminal world of Ray Topham (Tom Muller) and his associate Tommy Morghen (Joe O’Byrne).

Recruiting a team of film-students, including director Michael (played by Michael himself) and Paul (Great Harwood actor, Paul Birtwistle), he sets about his quest.

Along the way, they uncover the world of sex, violence and exploitation - but the cunning criminals soon realise Barry is out of his depth and use him for their own ends.

It all started in the early 1990s when Michael was a film-student under Jon at Blackburn College.

He said: "I was trying to get various things off the ground, but in the end I asked Jon if he would write something and do that as a film, which is how this came to be.

"It is very gritty and powerful, but at the same time we wanted it to be realistic. We don’t want to make the sort of gangster films which Guy Ritchie makes. We wanted the characters to be far more realistic and interesting."

The film certainly does not shy away from showing graphic violence - or the film crew’s response to it.

Michael, who works by day as an IT technician at Accrington and Rossendale College said: "Michael is very ambitious, a bit like me, only he is far more ruthless about it. If it had been me making a documentary like that, I’d probably have quit within 20 minutes, but he carries on.

"He’s got Barry behind him, telling him that this is how things are done and that you have to record real life no matter what and he goes along with it.

"I suppose it’s a bit like on nature programmes where you see a lion eating a zebra or something like that, and the crew just keep their cameras rolling."

The characters created by Michael and Jon are also designed to resonate with an audience.

Michael said: "Take Tommy, for example. He is best described as a charming psychopath, because he is.

"In one scene, he goes around to a couple’s house who owe money and tells them he’s a debt advisor rather than a debt collector.

"They let him in and he starts talking to them, only to turn on them and humiliate them. He’s a horrendous character, but also in a strange way quite charming."

After filming on and off for two and half years the crew spent some time taking it to various events including the Cornish Film Festival and the Salford Film Festival before finally securing a DVD and cinema release deal.

Despite being a big hit with audiences so far, the film which was partly shot on location in Hyndburn as well as Blackburn and further afield, was made on the tiny budget of just £5,000.

Michael added: "When they first made Shallow Grave in 1994, that was on a much bigger budget than us and they thought it wouldn’t be popular, but it was.

"We wondered what chance we had, but from what we’ve seen so far people seem to really like it and want to see it."

The film has already been snapped up by Classic Entertainment who, in association with Safecracker Features, are currently negotiating sales of the film to the USA, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Belgium and Germany.

The film, which has an 18 rating will be out in cinemas in May and released on DVD on June 28.