Had David Alexander lasted more than a day studying to be a lawyer, he might not have been responsible for the award-winning short, Growing, or be on his way to the Talent Lab at the Toronto International Film Festival, where he is one of the first three international participants in the scheme (helped there by Skillset).

"I went through the motions of doing other things because becoming a film-maker seemed such an 'out there' ambition," says Alexander. "First I had to overcome the obstacle of believing someone from a Hackney council estate could do this. But by the time I left university, I knew I had to be a film-maker."

A love of European and world cinema inspired him growing up. He was particularly drawn to the fact that even though the languages and cultures were unfamiliar, he could still relate to the stories. "I knew I had a point of view I wanted to express and cinema was the medium I knew best."

Expressing that view is central to his approach and as an aspiring film-maker he sees directors Lynne Ramsay and Andrea Arnold as important reference points.

"Their films are about the here and now; about having a point of view," the 25-year-old Londoner says. "Urban British cinema is a frontier to be pushed. It provides a real opportunity to bring quality to the narrative; to avoid cliches. It's about being honest - fair, if you like - to the stories you are telling."

In fact, story is so important to David that he rates "developing a strong narrative" alongside "finding money" and "generating interest" as the major challenges facing new directors.

"There is a wealth of quality out there so you have to have a strong story in order to be able to stand out," he says.

The story he found for Growing is a 21st-century tale of disaffected youth, which developed from his observations of young people doing nothing with their lives. "It was something I felt strongly about and wanted to vocalise," he says. The story follows three teenage boys whose lazy lifestyle leads to tragedy. It will play later this month at Sundance.

Frustrated that the ideas behind Growing could have served more than a short, Alexander hopes Toronto will generate interest in what he is doing next. He attended the Berlinale Talent Campus earlier this year and is taking part in the Nfts Compass Point career development programme.

"I'm working on planning two new shorts over the next 12-18 months and I really want to outdo myself with them," says Alexander. "For me, they're a stepping stone to features and the scope to develop ideas."