A NEW film about angry disputes between neighbours starring an actor who appeared in The Darkest Hour has won an award.

Tempest, which is 12 minutes long and produced by mediation charity Brighton and Hove Independent Mediation Services (BHIMS), has been named National Mediation Video of the Year 2018.

The film portrays a fictional story of a neighbourhood conflict that combines a number of real-life disputes in Brighton.

Among them is the story of two people who lived in flats, when the person in the flat below complained the one above was stamping on the floor, banging on the ceiling with a stick and shouting.

Once they were brought together to talk about it, the complainant discovered their neighbour was a veteran of the war in Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and had a heavy tread due to a war injury.

The two subsequently became great friends.

“The neighbours just hadn’t talked,” said Mark Green, service manager at BHIMS, which made the film to show how mediation can help resolve conflict and to recruit new younger mediators.

“Disagreements between neighbours can have a devastating effect on everyone involved. Not only is it stressful but it can lead to social isolation and ill health.”

BHIMS been working in the Brighton, Hove and Lewes area for 25 years and deals with cases referred by councils and the police and directly by complainants.

It has seen its referrals rise by 25 per cent this year.

Most cases are about noise, pets and boundary disputes, with some involving cultural clashes.

Mr Green said: “Often disputes are perceived very differently by each side and talking can help resolve that. We do not solve the problem – the people themselves do it.

“We help people find ways of talking.”

He cited a second another example of a dispute, when a man complained his housebound neighbour had her television on very loudly, which had led to arguments between them.

During mediation, the two discovered they were both avid Liverpool supporters and agreed to an arrangement that when Liverpool were playing, he would go to her flat to watch the match with her.

Tempest, launched last week at a private premiere showing during National Mediation Week, was directed by BHIMS mediator and filmmaker Justin Spray and made in collaboration with Brighton and Hove City Council and Sussex Police.

The lead role is played by film and stage actor John Locke, who lives in Brighton and was previously a housing officer in the city.