A NORTH-East documentary about ex-offenders-turned-born again Christians is to be screened at the world-famous Cannes Film Festival.

Durham-based videographer Sean Usher’s 15-minute film Junction 42 features the Christian charity of the same name, which works in prisons and the community, supporting primarily ex-offenders and their families to overcome addiction and criminality.

The documentary, which was filmed over a few months last summer, sees a number of members of the Newcastle-based church group tell their stories and how becoming Christians has changed their lives.

The film was sent to the Sheffield International Documentary Festival and has now been chosen from thousands of entrants to be screened at Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner in May.

Mr Usher, a 22-year-old self-employed videographer from Carrville, Durham City, said: “I’m really excited, over the moon.”

On making his first documentary, he said: “It was really freeing to be spontaneously creative.

"It's pro-community, rather than pro-Christian. It's impartial.

"We were more there for the characters, and to hear about their convictions."

Mr Usher was the film’s director of photography, his girlfriend Emma Mitchell directed and Rebecca Pink, a recruitment consultant from Newcastle, was the producer.

Ms Pink, 25, started work on the project after a chance conversation with a make-up artist who is part of Junction 42 and features in the film.

But Junction 42 is not the first film success for Mr Usher, a former York St John University student. He previously worked on Desmond, a fictional psychological thriller about a mob henchman haunted by his past, which was also screened at Cannes.

He hopes the screening of Junction 42 in France next month will lead to the film being picked up by a distributor and screened more widely or a new commission. He hopes to make further documentaries and said he had "lots of ideas".

The team will be in Cannes for the festival from May 17 to 21.

For more information on Junction 42, visit junction42.org

Junction 42 has been shortlisted for cash from the RBS Skills and Opportunities Fund. The winner is decided by public vote. The deadline is noon on Friday, April 22. To vote for Junction 42, visit skillsandopportunitiesfund.rbs.co.uk/vote/vote-in-the-north.html