A GRITTY Trainspotting-style film is being shot on Oxford’s largest estate.

Dozens of local extras are being used on the set of Scum Dog Millionaire, which is being filmed in Blackbird Leys and near Folly Bridge.

Styled on gritty British gangster movies like Layer Cake, the film tells the story of drug dealer Frank, who sells narcotics to university students to get money to set up a record label.

Drug sellers, debt collectors and parents have all been cast, but roles for talent scouts, doormen, police officers and musicians are still up for grabs.

Director Derek James, himself from Oxford, is working on distribution deals and hopes to showcase the film in independent cinemas across the UK before the end of the year.

About 200 Oxford people are involved in the project.

Mr James said he hoped the experience would give local actors a chance to learn more about the movie industry.

He said: “We are bringing to Oxford what is usually only found London and New York. Unless you know anyone in the industry it’s pure luck and most people luck-out and it doesn’t happen.”

Workshops will be held to help people use the experience to benefit their career, and 20 young people aged between 16 and 19 will be given training opportunities.

Amantha Edmead, who has been in EastEnders and The Bill, and Robeyn Storey, who has appeared in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, both have roles in the production.

Oxford’s Mixed Martial Arts Academy will feature as ‘hard men’ too.

Rory Campbell has landed a small role as a musician in the film.

The 26-year-old, from Mole Place, Greater Leys, said: “I’m looking forward to it. It’s definitely something I’ve wanted to do since I was younger.

“I hope it does well. It’s not going to rival Titanic, but it’s a good platform to get into film and it will give me a bit of experience.

“There is quite a buzz going round the estate about it.”

Father-of-one Gavin Brackett, 30, of Little Bury, Greater Leys, is playing a drug debt collector.

He said: “It’s like leaving your life for a day. You are given a character to take on board and it allows you to move away from your everyday life.

“You find yourself sitting in front of the mirror trying to practise your character.

“My family think it’s great. They are dying to see it.”

The film will be premiered in Oxford at the end of August.

Cameras also rolled in Blackbird Leys in 2006, when Channel Five TV’s show The Singing Estate saw a choir of more than 40 residents travel across Europe, perform at the Royal Albert Hall and in front of the Queen.

For information about getting involved, see MVN Film’s Facebook page