Phil Hawkins first joined The Gate Films as a runner when he left school. Four years later, he's notched up over ten regional advertising awards, two prize winning features - including a Phillip Pullman adaptation - and lists Stephen Spielberg among his fans. And all by the age of 23. Not bad, eh?

Hawkins has also just picked up the Best Director and Best Adaptation at the New York International Film Festival for his new feature, The Butterfly Tattoo. It's an adaptation of a Phillip Pullman novel - and while Pullman's last movie The Golden Compass might have cost several millions to put on screen, this was a significantly more modest affair, costing £250,000 to make and casting unknowns in the central roles.

The project came about when Pullman sold the rights to a young production company, on the stipulation that they would employ young talent and trainees. "Pullman used to be a lecturer, and he's a strong believer in education," explains Hawkins. "It's more of an education to be on set doing things. Professionals headed up the departments but everyone else was a trainee - and not in the sense of people sitting around making cups of tea. There were trainee grips, trainee cameramen… Even the music - apart from the score - came from unsigned indie bands. It was like saying 'this is the next generation and we can make an awesome film'."

And an awesome film indeed they have made. The New York Independent Film Festival certainly agrees, awarding him the Best Director accolade. Curiously enough, it's the same award he picked up two years ago at the same festival for his debut feature, The Women of Troy, an adaptation of the Euripides play which was made in collaboration with Hawkin's old sixth form college.

The film ended up catching the eye of movie legend Steven Spielberg, who invited Hawkins to join Fox TVs reality show On The Lot - a directing version of something similar to The Apprentice.

While Hawkins' energy and enthusiasm shines through in conversation, betraying his youthfulness, it still comes as a shock when he reveals his age to be only years old. "A lot of people have the same reaction," he laughs. "But I love what I do and I'm really passionate. I know what I want to be and that's why I'm so young and I've already shot two features. I've not just fallen into this - I made my first short film when I was 11."

And he's not laying back and taking it easy either. Hawkins is already signed up to direct two more feature films. A Cold State is due to be shot in Poland at the end of next year, and he's currently developing what could be his most ambitious project to date - a biopic of Van Gogh.

But for the time being he's back at The Gate shooting commercials. "I've been with The Gate since the beginning. They definitely nurture new talent. I owe a lot to these guys," he adds. Indeed, it was the Manchester-based production company that first took him on as a runner. He worked his way up to assisting directors, and then began shooting small jobs in his own right.

"The awards and acclaim are obviously a fantastic achievement and it goes without saying that everyone at The Gate is immensely proud," says Steve Byrne of The Gate. "On a purely selfish note though, we're really glad to have him back from his feature and available to look at commercial scripts."

To check out his reel click here and for more info on The Butterfly Tattoo click here.