BECOMING a successful film-maker is the dream of many.

But it has come true for a former Romsey resident who is now celebrating a major success.

The streaming rights of Oliver Ridge’s film The Neighbor have been sold to major UK platforms including Amazon, Google and Apple.

This comes after the 31-year-old former Hampshire Collegiate School student’s film won an award at the Rhode Island International Film Festival in 2016.

The movie’s publicity features a quote from horror author Stephen King, who applauded the film, singling out “a bravura performance from William Fichtner, one of America’s great actors”.

William Fichtner, star of The Dark Knight, Prison Break and Independence Day, plays a middle-aged man in a stagnant marriage who finds his life upended when an attractive young woman and her seemingly abusive husband move in next door.

Oliver, who grew up in Romsey and now works in Los Angeles for the film’s production company Blood Moon Creative, said: “The success of The Neighbor has surpassed our wildest expectations – the film festival award was great recognition, and to attract praise from someone with Stephen King’s reputation was a proud moment for me.”

The film has now been released on iTunes, Xbox Live, Sony’s PlayStation Store, Google Play, Amazon Instant Video, BT streaming, Sky Store, UPC and Chili TV.

“The movie has done very well on streaming in the US and we’re now very excited to be reaching a whole new audience in the UK with the release of the film on DVD and on every major rental platform,” he added.

Oliver, was voted one of the top British talents in Los Angeles two years in a row by BAFTALA, the Los Angeles arm of BAFTA.

He studied at Vancouver Film School and graduated in 2014.