A FILM shot in the Yorkshire Dales has climbed to number 5 in the iTunes independent chart - just days after it was made available for nationwide release

And Lad: A Yorkshire Story has also entered the family films Top 10 alongside Paddington, Frozen and Despicable Me.

Director Dan Hartley, who used to live in Austwick, said: "The success of LAD since its release on iTunes has been unprecedented. As the only self-distributed film to appear in the top 100 it's testament to the support of our fans and the terrific word of mouth the film has garnered."

Lad has proved a hit around the world, winning 21 international festival awards and five star ratings across iTunes, Amazon and IMDB.

It tells the story of a teenage boy (played by Bretten Lord) who comes to terms with the loss of his dad when he forms a friendship with a park ranger in the Yorkshire Dales (played by Alan Gibson).

The production team now has its sights set on reaching number one and hope that the success of LAD will help them get their next film off the ground, a thriller set in Alaska.

Lad is available now to rent and buy in the UK on iTunes tinyurl.com/nm3u844