The launch of an Australian coming-of-age film will be launched in Dubbo this March and the young writer hopes it will inspire local budding filmmakers.
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Sydney teenager Hal Cumpston's film Bilched is an honest and humorous look at life in the final days of high school.
Dubbo was chosen as the launch venue because Hal and his father - who is also the film's director - decided to take it to regional areas before being screened and potentially lost in metropolitan cinemas.
"It made sense (to have the film's launch in Dubbo) because it's pretty central," Hal said of the city.
Hal, 19, wrote the first draft of the film in 10 days at the end of 2017.
"I had no concept of how long it (writing a film) was meant to take," he said.
The whole process took about a year to complete and Hal said he is excited to finally get the film out there to audiences.
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Hal is hopeful young, regional audiences enjoy the film, which he likened to the American teen movie, Superbad.
Hal said Bilched is loosely based on his and others own life experiences.
The film follows anti-hero Hal on his mishap laden journey at a penultimate end of school house party, after which it becomes glaringly obvious he needs to stop cruising through life, face his fears, and follow his heart.
"I like to think it's an authentic take on Australian, teen culture," Hal said.
Despite moments of self doubt, Hal is most proud of completing Bilched, which took 20 days to film.
Hal's father is Dr Jeremy Cumpston, who is a real life doctor turned actor, worked on the Australian series All Saints.
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“We’ve essentially broken every conceivable rule in film production - the whole family is involved in every facet of the film, over 80 per cent of the cast are teenagers and some have never acted professionally, and we’ve funded it ourselves—so that’s a no-no trifecta!” Jeremy said.
Hal, plus two of his friends who served as the film's producers,will be travelling across the countryside for the screenings, including Dubbo's launch event, which will be held at the Dubbo Scout Hall on March 11.
He hopes other young filmmakers will become inspired by the upcoming event and submit their own works.
Successful short films submissions will be shown at local screenings and the best ones will be eligible for wider distribution and cash prizes.
To find a Bilched screening near you, buy screening tickets or submit a film to the Bilched Film Festival, visit www.bilched.com