A film about young copper thieves made in Bradford has been the toast of the Cannes Film Festival.

The Selfish Giant was named Europa Cinemas Label’s Best European Film at Cannes, following a unanimous judges’ vote, and received a standing ovation after its world premiere screening.

Described as a “delicate, powerfully emotional, and brilliantly acted,” the film is a contemporary version of an Oscar Wilde story, turned into a fable about teenage copper thieves in Bradford.

It was written and directed by Clio Barnard, of Otley, who was inspired by stories she was told and people she met filming her debut film The Arbor, a drama-documentary about Bradford playwright Andrea Dunbar. Miss Barnard was nominated for a Bafta for the film, which won several awards.

While filming The Arbor on Buttershaw estate, Miss Barnard got to know a group of boys who used horses and carts to collect scrap metal.

Backed by the British Film Institute Film Fund and Film4, The Selfish Giant is about a 13-year-old boy called Arbor and his pal, Swifty. Excluded from school, they begin collecting scrap metal for a local scrapman. The boys make a good team but before long tensions build, leading to an event which changes their lives forever.

The film stars Siobhan Finneran, who has been in TV dramas such as Downton Abbey and, more recently, Kay Mellor’s The Syndicate.