NOT many directors have their "star" go missing in the middle of a shoot only to turn up later with tales of meeting Pete Doherty (of Babyshambles and The Libertines notoriety), and nursing a broken ankle.

But then not many people have so far cast Terri Hooley, owner of the Belfast record shop and label, Good Vibrations, that made punk icons out of The Undertones, The Outcasts and others.

"It's fair to say Terri is very much a local legend in Belfast," says Lisa Barros D'Sa, one half of the directing duo behind Good Vibrations, a biopic of Hooley and a certain period in the city's history.

"Only Terri could bump into Pete Doherty in the street," adds Glenn Leyburn, Barros D'Sa's co-director and husband.

Hooley doesn't play himself in the drama – that job goes to Richard Dormer (Game of Thrones). But he does turn up in a cameo, playing the accordion.

"There were some punks of a certain age, who will remain nameless, who were very reluctant to appear in the film in cameos, in anything other than costumes they considered really cool," says Barros D'Sa. "Terri was quite happy to just go for it and be part of the film in whatever way we wanted."

Hooley was first approached about a film of his life 10 years ago, but he wanted to wait until he felt the right team had been assembled. "As anyone would be, he was a bit nervous about committing his life to film in that way," says Barros D'Sa.

Good Vibrations shows how from the 1970s onwards, Hooley's record shop became a haven for music fans from both sides of the city's religious divide.

"At that time in Belfast there weren't very many spaces where Catholic and Protestant youths could meet up," says Leyburn.

When the film premiered at the Belfast Film Festival the response was "incredibly positive" says Barros D'Sa. "It is a film that is set in the context of The Troubles but it doesn't approach it from one side or the other. It is really about people who were living in that world but don't want to be defined by it."

Leyburn agrees. "People who grew up through that time don't want to be seen as casualties of war. They were young, they were going out, and they were being like young people everywhere else in the country. A lot of the songs Good Vibes bands wrote weren't necessarily about The Troubles, they were about fancying girls and buses, that sort of stuff."

One of the most famous songs about fancying girls was, of course, The Undertones' Teenage Kicks, with the film capturing the electrifying moment when John Peel played it not once but twice on Radio 1. Another legend was born.

The Undertones were kept informed about the film, says Leyburn. "They were supportive. They are keen their legacy is looked after, and they are respected within the film so they were happy enough with everything we did."

As for how much was paid for the right to play Teenage Kicks in the film, he says: "I couldn't tell you the exact amount but I do know we did not have a large music budget at all. We paid them something but it wasn't a lot of money."

In making the film, Leyburn and Barros D'Sa were able to call on the help of contemporary Scottish/Northern Irish rockers Snow Patrol. Gary Lightbody, Nathan Connolly and Jonny Quinn are executive producers on the film. In Quinn's case, his involvement was in part a thank you for Hooley giving him a job many years ago. He also played in a band with Hooley before Snow Patrol formed. (Also turning up in the film to say thanks for the memories is Dylan Moran, the comedian.)

Snow Patrol proved particularly invaluable when it came to filming a concert scene at the Ulster Hall. "On a budget like ours it's hard to get 2000 extras to fill a space like that," says Barros D'Sa.

Snow Patrol duly sped to the rescue, putting the word out on their website that they would play an acoustic gig that night for fans if they turned up dressed as punks from the 1980s. "Within hours we had all the extras we needed," says Barros D'Sa.

At the Belfast Film Festival premiere some of The Undertones attended, as did members of other bands from the time.

"It was quite an emotional night for a lot of old punk rockers," Leyburn recalls.

Filming took place in Belfast and Dundalk. Recreating the Belfast of that era was easier in the latter than in the modernised capital of today. In some cases, graffiti from the times was still there, in other instances it had to be reinstated or removed using CGI.

Now Good Vibrations is leaving the film festival circuit and going on general release, Barros D'Sa and Leyburn will be turning a local legend into an even bigger name. They are more than comfortable with that.

"It is Terri's story but it is really also the story of the power of music and youth to defy even the darkest of times," says Barros D'Sa.

"That felt like a very universal story to tell and one we hoped would resonate across the wider world."

Good Vibrations opens in cinemas on March 29.