YOUNG film-makers from the North-East have been nominated for an award to be presented at a ceremony in London's West End.

The 14 youngsters, from Middlesbrough, will be representing the region with their film The Boy Who Killed A Fly, which has been put forward as the best comedy in the first young people's National Lottery film awards.

It is a comic animation which tells the story of a boy who kills a fly and sets of a chain of events.

The film was made by children aged between 12 and 15 who attend Club Hype, an after-school animation club in Middlesbrough.

The First Light Awards ceremony will be held at the Odeon cinema, in Leicester Square, next month, and will celebrate the high-quality films made by youngsters through the UK Film Council's Lottery-funded programme.

UK Film Council chief executive John Woodward said: "The UK has produced some of the finest film-makers in the world, and if we are to have a successful film industry in the future then we need to be developing tomorrow's film-maker's today.

"Despite having little or no experience of film-making, young people across the UK have produced many extremely high-quality films thanks to the First Light programme, and these awards celebrate their achievements."

The event, on February 26, will be attended by Education Secretary Charles Clarke and Lottery Minister Richard Caborn.