A film director from Windermere is set to release his debut short drama next month.

Thomas Gardner worked closely with Andy Robertshaw, military advisor of Steven Spielberg's epic War Horse and Sam Mendes' BAFTA-winning 1917 on The Fronts of War.

The 25-year-old director filmed the short in Maidstone, Kent, with some scenes shot in Keswick at Friar’s Cragg.

“It has been such a roller coaster of a journey from beginning to end. The film had been put off for a couple of years due to Covid and finally we managed to get it shot within a couple of days and edited within the next couple of weeks,” he said.

“The cast and crew were absolutely incredible throughout and it's as much of their success as it is mine.

“This was a collaborative effort and I am overjoyed that I could work alongside such talent.”

The film was co-written with screenwriter Olivia Lewis-Brown and starred actors Adam Grindley and Aaron Fraiser, who was also nominated best actor at the Golden Short Film Festival in Italy for his portrayal as Private William Mawlbury.

The film will be released onto YouTube on April 1.