Producers of a short film shot in Bradford for just £60 are looking for backers to expand the movie into a full-length feature.

The move follows a range of positive international reviews for the 23-minute version of Gatecrasher, shot mainly in Bradford and which received a civic premier at the Midland Hotel attended by the Lord Mayor, Coun Dale Smith, in October.

Frank Ryan, Bradford-based actor and joint producer of the film, said he and HCR Films colleague Adam Hughes, were in discussions with a Los Angeles production company which could lead to a distribution deal for a feature-length version of Gatecrasher.

Gatecrasher stars former Emmerdale actor Ryan Prescott who has since won parts in BBC TV dramas The Syndicate and Doctors as a result of appearing in Gatecrasher. The short film production was backed by Bradford Council's Rising Stars enterprise programme which helped the producers devise a business plan and ensured financial and legal requirements were arranged and managed as production and distribution of the film continued.

Now Frank is optimistic that the production can be developed into a full-length feature, with a potential Bradford backer expressing interest in putting in around £200,000.

Mr Ryan is also hoping to raise finance from crowdfunding company – an emerging system whereby individuals lend an agreed amount to projects and companies – through a newly launched Bradford operator. Mr Ryan said: “The film has been attracting some very positive reviews internationally and some of them mention Bradford and the companies that backed us in a positive light.

“We have now started entering the film into festivals and in the past week alone it has been accepted into festivals in Kiev, Rio De Janeiro and Berlin.

“To get this amount of international acceptance for a low budget short film made in Bradford is amazing.

“We are also in negotiations with Guest House Films in Los Angeles who are interested in acquiring the short version for a forthcoming compilation and also are interested in discussing a possible distribution deal for the feature version.

“We are now trying to interest investors in the feature film which we would ideally like to film later this year.

“We are also passionate about featuring Bradford in a positive light throughout the process because we are aware that without the support of local companies it would not have been possible to make even film the short version.”

Mr Ryan is meeting with chamber officials tomorrow to see what more support can be provided for the extended project.