A COMPANY from the North-East has beaten competition from across the country to produce graphics for the latest film by director Danny Boyle.

Boyle, best known for blockbusters such as Shallow Grave, Trainspotting, 28 Days Later and The Beach, has awarded the contract to Mere Mortals.

The contract win follows the Newcastle company's move to new premises, which has doubled the size of its facilities.

Mere Mortals has spent about £250,000 on the move, half of which has been spent on a television post production suite in Walker Road, and has also created three more jobs. The company now employs 18 people.

Mere Mortals managing director David Jeffries said: "Having invested in the very best of both video and audio equipment, we are able to offer London-quality services here in the North-East.

"This is a very exciting time for Mere Mortals, as winning the pitch to work on Danny Boyle's new movie has been a great coup.

"It shows, as with our broadcast work, that you don't have to be London-based to attract business at this level.

"We are confident that this is a trend that will continue."

The new movie, which has just gone into production, is a sci-fi film called Sunshine and tells the story of a spacecraft that travels to the sun.