MORECAMBE'S troubled Midland Hotel will be given a much needed boost this weekend when a new British film shot at the landmark hotel is screened for the first time.

The short film "Orpheus" will be shown at the Midland on Friday night and writer and director Peter Huby said he was delighted to be coming back to Morecambe.

He said: "We are delighted to be screening the film for the first time at the Midland. It's a distinguished building and hopefully the publicity surrounding the film will help secure the hotel's future."

Filmed along the resort's promenade and inside the Midland, it tells the tale of a desperate gamblers last few days and the makers hope it will eventually be screened on television.

Funded by Northern Arts and Lancaster City Council , the film stars Lancaster-based actors and actresses as well as German performance artist Ernst Fischer. Ad Hoc Films are now looking for a distributor for the film which is a modern take on the ancient Greek legend of Orpheus's descent into the underworld.

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