A star-studded Kent film is tipped for glory after its premiere last night.

The Calling has already been nominated for a national award, and boasts a cast including Ramsgate-born Brenda Blethyn and Golden Globe winners Rita Tushingham and Amanda Donohoe.

Academy award-nominated Susannah York also stars in the film - one of just nine to be nominated for the Michael Powell award this year.

It has generated more than £500,000 of spend into Kent before even being screened.

Set in present day Kent, The Calling follows the story of a young girl who wants to be a nun. It's the result of a pilot project between production company Medb Films, based in Ramsgate, and Kent County Council’s Kent Film Office.

Kent County Council provided £75,000 of funding for the film and also worked to secure match funding. This initial investment attracted others to the project including Screen South, Courtyard Studios, Maidstone Studios and The Hop Farm, which resulted in more than £500,000 of spend into the Kent economy. The investment also secured jobs for eight trainees from Kent on the production.

The film had its international premiere in Edinburgh last night and Brenda Blethyn, who is also chair of the Kent TV and Film Board, was there to talk about the film and the importance of the film industry.

Kent Film Office has generated £13million of income for Kent in the three years since it was set up and works in partnership with Screen South to support the film industry in the county.

Tanya Oliver, Director of Strategic Development and Public Access for KCC, said:

"The success of this pilot is just the beginning of what we can achieve by working with film producers in this way. We now know that film production can bring real economic benefits to Kent and we’re going to build on this exciting initiative.

"We’re thrilled that this film has been recognised by such a prestigious nomination – it’s a testament to the hard work and enthusiasm of everyone involved."