A movie starring Colin Firth, partly filmed in Bradford with local people as extras, has won an international award.

The King’s Speech took top honours at the Toronto International Film Festival, winning the People’s Choice prize. The award was previously won by Slumdog Millionaire which went on to win multiple Oscars, including one for Keighley’s Simon Beaufoy, who wrote the screenplay. Partly filmed at the Bradford Bulls stadium in Odsal, with support from regional film agency Screen Yorkshire, The King’s Speech is about the unorthodox relationship between England’s reluctant king, King George VI – the father of Queen Elizabeth – and an irreverent Australian speech therapist.

When heir to the throne Edward, older brother of Prince Albert, or ‘Bertie’, abdicated to marry American divorcee Wallis Simpson, Bertie was forced to become king. Thrust into the international spotlight, with a nervous stammer, he engaged Lionel Logue to help him find a voice to lead the nation.

The star-studded cast includes Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush, Helena Bonham Carter, Timothy Spall, Derek Jacobi and Michael Gambon. The film is due for release on January 7, 2011.

The King's Speech beat another British film, The First Grader, about an 84-year-old Kenyan who fought discrimination to attend school, to win the top international award. Producer Iain Canning said: “All of us at See-Saw Films are thrilled that The King’s Speech has won the audience prize at Toronto.

“Connecting with an audience is what film-making is all about. The King’s Speech would not have been made without UK Lottery funding.”

Tanya Seghatchian, head of the UK Film Council’s Film Fund, added: “We are delighted and proud for the film-makers of The King’s Speech and The First Grader that the films have been such an incredible success with audiences at Toronto. “Both films are based on inspiring stories from emerging British film-makers and give the UK film industry every reason to be confident in the run-up to the awards season.”