A zombie comedy born in Archway and inspired by Simon Pegg’s Shaun Of The Dead has stormed to victory and won an award at the Cannes Film Festival.

I Am Lonely, shot on a shoestring budget of �500 in a flat in Hazellville Road, was chosen from more than 2,000 entries to make the final of the prestigious Short Film Corner competition at Cannes last week - the only UK film to make the shortlist.

A slew of online votes for the black comedy, filmed just a few streets away from Shaun Of The Dead, saw it romp home with the top prize over nine other competitors - with the endorsement of Hollywood star and Crouch Ender Simon Pegg. It has now been watched nearly 200,000 times on YouTube.

The movie, which spoofs Will Smith’s zombie thriller I Am Legend, was written by Jonathan Brown, 30, who lives in the same flat in Ritchie House where it was filmed.

It stars Crouch End actor Matt Prendergast as a man dealing with the realities of remaining human after a zombie apocalypse.

Mr Brown said: “We were really chuffed to get support from Simon Pegg, who is a huge inspiration for everyone on the production and we’d like to thank him.

“We’re also really indebted to all our friends and families who voted and spread the word across the internet.”

He added: “This shows that film making doesn’t end with the final cut, that promoting the film and the commercial side of the industry are hugely important as well.”

The writer, alongside director Phil Haine, received a computer and video camera worth �7,000 as their reward at a ceremony in Cannes.

Mr Haine added: “This equipment will help us move up the next level of film making. It’s a great prize for young film makers and we can’t wait to get started on or next projects.”