Top British actors will star in a dark, true story about a victim of child abuse caught up in a life of crime, due to begin filming today in Margate.

Cameras will roll for Gaslighting, starring Stephen Graham (This is England, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Pirates of the Caribbean) and Hannah Walters (This is England 86, Whitechapel, Filth and Wisdom).

Clean-cut Pictures has also signed up film composer Clint Mansell (Filth, Requiem for a Dream, Black Swan).

Gaslighting will be used in a nationwide awareness campaign, focused on links between child abuse and youth offending, raising finance for youth programmes.

Funds raised from the film will be invested into projects in Thanet to help young offenders and victims of child abuse.

Income generated from online screenings and public donations will be channelled into educational programmes for disadvantaged young people in the district.

Director/writer Elaine Wickham is behind the uncomfortable and uncensored story of a 12-year-old girl.

Elaine is a British Independent Film Awards winner, acclaimed for previous work with Ramsgate-based MedB, which later became Maeve Films, responsible for features including Ruby Blue, Gypo and The Calling.

Her latest film, produced by Sarah Treadwell, promises to shock with its brutal honesty and expose the unspoken acceptance and banality of sexual abuse, specifically in seaside towns.

Former Kent County Council chief executive Peter Gilroy is the film’s executive producer, believing it is “every child’s right to have their voice heard.”

Ms Wickham, who also runs programmes for young offenders, said: “It’s important that the public are aware that most young offenders are children from abusive and neglected backgrounds. Understanding what motivates youth crime is the key to solving the problem.”

Film crew, who have worked on blockbusters including Harry Potter, The Hobbit and James Bond, are donating their talent and time to the campaign.

National businesses are sponsoring the Gaslighting campaign, including Panavision, Kodak and Fred Perry.

Clean-cut Pictures is working in partnership with the Kent Community Organisation and Kent Film Foundation.

The campaign will promote ChildLine, PACE (Parents Against Child Exploitation) and Angelight Trust.