Writer and director Justin Molotnikov won the best film category with his black comedy thriller Crying with Laughter at the awards in Glasgow on Sunday.

He said: "I'm delighted, very excited – it's quite a surprise for us, but a very pleasant one. The best film award is just fantastic because it recognises everyone."

Part of the film was shot in the Borders when the crew stayed for four days in Kelso last December.

Molotnikov secured initial funding for the low-budget £480,000 movie without a tied-down script.

He and actors Stephen McCole (Stone of Destiny, Band of Brothers) and Malcolm Shields (The Lost World) collaborated in developing the script, using joint improvisation.

"It was bold, but at the same time, I had such trust in how people were working and how the actors knew their characters, that I was sure it was the right way to go."

He describes his debut film as a 'dark comedic revenge thriller'.

Two men who haven't seen each other for 25 years meet by chance.

"One's a hedonistic stand-up comedian who doesn't know what he's doing next. The other guy's stuck in the past and can't move on from something they both went through – he can't forget and the comic can't remember.

"It touches on some very dark subjects, but it doesn't deal with the conditions flippantly.

"As humans we use black comedy to deal with things and it was an interesting way to explore it through the eyes of a comedian."

Molotnikov's company Synchronicity Films is on the verge of signing with a UK distributor and is in talks with a US sales agent.

The 40-year-old former Glendinning and Tweedbank primary school pupil went to Galashiels Academy and Kelso High School before his first job in the local abattoir.