A budding director will see his first short film premiered on Sky Arts after he beat hundreds of filmmakers to get funding.

Ben Robins, 23, will have his first film, Losing It, shown on Sky Arts this Thursday after he and five other directors received funding from a scheme called ShortFLIX.

The short comedy follows a mid-twenties man, Chris, played by Endeavour actor, Lewis Peek, as he experiences an awkward encounter while losing his virginity to Becca, played by Rose Wardle.

Ben is still surprised that his first project will soon be appearing on national television.

He said: “It’s such a small little film, so seeing it all put together for the first time with the Sky logo and everything felt so odd.

"When I was a teenager and we used to make comedy sketches and mini shorts in our gardens, I would edit BBC intros and logos into them to make them look more pro, but it was always clear we were just kind of copying them. This felt like that.”

The ShortFLIX scheme, which is supported by the British Film Institute and Creative England, gives young filmmakers the opportunity to make their projects without any formal training in the industry.

An exclusive screening of Losing It was held last week, with Ben invited to Sky HQ in London to sit in the front row with the rest of the winning directors.

Ben, who lives in Perry Street, Billericay, said: “I don’t think I’ve ever been more desperate for a laugh in all my life.

“It was this huge room, about half-full, and the filmmakers were sat right at the front.

"When the first big laugh came it was a totally out-of-body experience, and I think I’ll remember the sound of it for the rest of my life.”

Now the film is finally ready for release, Ben is submitting it to film festivals worldwide and he plans to start work on his next project soon.

He said: “I have a few more shorts written and story boarded, so hopefully I’ll have something new done and dusted by the end of the year.”

Losing It airs as part of ShortFLIX on Sky Arts, May 24 at 10.30pm, and will also be available on Sky on Demand and Now TV.