THE story of a homeless drug addict who lived a life of destitution on the streets of Lancaster is to be made into a major feature film the Citizen can exclusively reveal.

Hollywood producer Gary Kurtz, of Star Wars and American Graffiti fame, was so taken by the story of Stephen Smith that he plans to visit Lancaster in August to shoot some of the film's most moving scenes. Stephen Smith eventually kicked his habit and is now a successful businessman and writer.

The film, entitled "Addict," will be based on his hard-hitting autobiography which includes heart-wrenching stories about life on the streets. A production company in Germany, Westworld International, is promoting the film and Stephen told the Citizen: "As I wrote my book I relived the horror of my drug addiction which was just like watching it all over again. For five years I lived rough on the streets in places like Lancaster and it was only an act of compassion by a visiting German student that turned my life around. Much of what happened has been wiped from my memory but people who knew me have told me about events and I've undergone hypnotherapy. Slowly and painfully I've put the past together."

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