A STAR-studded emotive film highlighting the hardship of family illnesses has pushed an aspiring York film-maker in to the limelight after he scooped a top national award.

Written, directed and filmed in York by David Johnson, Day In Day Out stars Stuart Wade, more commonly remembered as Biz from Emmerdale, and Al Kossy, of Brookside fame – playing the former character of Alec O’Brien.

It tells the affecting story of a man in his thirties looking after his elderly father who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

The film won Best Short Film at last week’s Shadowline arts festival in Italy, beating off stiff competition from 22 films from across Europe.

Mr Johnson said: “We wanted to show the daily struggle that a person in this position would be going through. Really, it shows him at the point of a nervous breakdown by being put in a situation he is not equipped to deal with, but battling with the fact he doesn’t want to abandon his father.”

When he found out he won, Mr Johnson, 44, said he was “stunned”.

“I just couldn’t believe it,” said David, who collaborated on the 18-minute film with writer, producer and friend Jez Scott, of Acomb. “It really hasn’t sunk in yet.

“Neither Jez or I could afford to travel to Italy, so I literally found out by email that we had beaten all the other films in the category.”

Armed with a £9,000 budget from Screen Yorkshire and the UK Film Council, David filmed the poignant short drama within five days at his South Bank home.

But it was only after auditions that the stars of the small screen, Stuart Wade and Al Kossy, were given the roles.

“We staged auditions for the two roles and they both turned up. They really captured what the film was all about.” The Shadowline festival, based in Salerno, described Day In Day Out as “a tale of an English working-class family, which is divided between a series of impossible loves and unexpected family dramas every day.”

The five-day festival also showcases feature films, music, performing art, literature and visual art. David has been spurred into further action by his unexpected triumph.

“I am looking for some further projects to get my teeth in to now,” he said.