A HARD-HITTING drama shot on the streets of Widnes and Runcorn has been given the thumbs-up by critics.

Cathy Doyle, of Widnes, and Rusholme-based Kate McSweeney have created the 15-minute movie Fused, which is doing the rounds of film festivals and venues across the region.

Cathy, who works as an advertising account manager for the Weekly News, and Kate met while studying at Bolton University for their film and cultural studies degrees. They wrote the script and directed the film in a week on a budget of £500.

Kate said: 'We had no budget apart from £500 from my brother and the actors and crew did it for free - we just fed and transported them. My scripts tend to be quite dark and Cathy's are a bit more optimistic and upbeat.

'We are now writing another script for our next film, which is a black comedy about three generations of women looking after each other.'

The script was written over two weekends at the Cornerhouse cinema and Cathy's home in Widnes.

It took three days to shoot at locations in Widnes, Runcorn and Manchester and two days to edit. The film was in the can on October 1.

The pair have already had several showings. Forthcoming venues include the Green Room and the Cornerhouse in Manchester, the Bradford Film Festival and the Birds Eye View festival in London.

Fused won best movie in a Brindley Centre competition and last Thursday was shown to an appreciative audience at the Kings Arms, part of Studio Salford.

Cathy said: 'The audience was really gripped and we got a good round of applause after the showing and several people commented on how good it was.

'We are not romanticising anything in this film - we aimed to show the underbelly of the working class and reflect real life.'

The pair have formed Gut Reaction Productions and are seeking financial help for future projects.

Anyone who can help can e-mail gutreactionprod@aol.com