The new Australian film Around the Block might not have been made if not for the clout of screen legend Jack Thompson.
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The veteran actor and star of Breaker Morant and The Man From Snowy River was happy to lend his industry cred to first-time writer-director Sarah Spillane's passion project.
''The appeal for me was that it had universal themes,'' Thompson said.
Around The Block, which stars American actress Christina Ricci, screens at the National Film and Sound Archive's Arc Cinema on Sunday as the closing-night feature of the 17th Canberra International Film Festival.
The film, set in the inner-Sydney suburb of Redfern, stars newcomer Hunter Page-Lochard as an Aboriginal teenager whose father is in jail and whose brother is a troublemaker. When his high-school drama teacher (Ricci) casts him as the lead in a production of Hamlet, the teen is torn by conflicting loyalties to his family and his ambitions.
The film also stars Madeleine Madden - granddaughter of the late Aboriginal activist Charlie Perkins - Matt Nable, Ruby Rose and Damian Walshe-Howling.
Thompson is an executive producer of the film and also plays the high-school principal. He described 20-year-old co-star Page-Lochard - son of Bangarra Dance Theatre artistic director Stephen Page - as ''a really exciting young actor''.
Spillane, who is not Aboriginal, was inspired, in part, by her own experiences teaching indigenous students in Redfern.
Thompson first met Spillane at the Garma Festival, Australia's largest indigenous cultural festival, where she helped him put together a documentary on the Jack Thompson Foundation, which teaches indigenous people in remote communities the skills to build their own houses.
Thompson said he was impressed by her ability to film on the run and played a part in getting support for a couple of short films and then, over a period of years, Around the Block.
He remained staunch in his support as Spillane tried to raise funds.
''In the end, she found a couple of Australian producers in Los Angeles,'' Thompson said.
Su Armstrong (Gallipoli) and Brian Rosen (We of the Never Never) came on board and, with some Australian government support, everything fell into place. The film was shot in five weeks and received standing ovations at the Toronto International Film Festival. An Australian release is planned for early next year.
Thompson will attend a Q&A session after Sunday's festival screening.
A previous version of this article incorrectly said Around The Block screens at Dendy. It is showing at the National Film and Sound Archive's Arc Cinema.
