For his last "little" film - Sliding Doors - director Peter Howitt called upon the pedigree and clipped consonants of Gwyneth Paltrow. But for the lead in his next, he wants an unknown teenager from the north-east with an accent thick enough to cut with a coal shovel.

Howitt wants to make a star of a Sanddancer - to the uninitiated, someone from South Shields.

The actor turned director is holding an open audition for the lead of his new film, The Other Half, which tells the story of 19-year-old Steph, who, sick of the predictable life stretching out in front of her, runs off to France to pick grapes in Bordeaux.

Ideally, the perfect Steph would be someone just like her from South Shields or the north-east, though neither Howitt nor his Newcastle-based producer Richard John would pass up on a stellar talent from elsewhere who did not know the difference between a Geordie and a Mackem.

Howitt said: "This is a story of a girl discovering who she is and realising she does not have to conform to what everyone expects of her.

"The girl we are looking for may well be in that same position now and looking for that same opportunity. We are looking for someone who can show us great passion and an independent spirit, a character that will mirror Steph's and transfer well to the screen.

"It is an unprecedented step to fill such a leading role in this way - it's very exciting to think of who we might discover," he added.

But producer Johns is confident they will find who they are looking for on Tyneside. "I really hope we will find her. One thing you can say about Geordie girls is that they are not backward about coming forward. This is a phenomenal opportunity for one young woman."

· Auditions begin at Tyne Tees TV at City Road, Newcastle, at 9am on January 25.