Director Rolf de Heer's film Charlie's Country has been selected as Australia's entry for next year's foreign language Academy Award.
The wrenching drama features David Gulpilil as an Aboriginal man struggling under the Northern Territory intervention in a remote Arnhem Land community. It features dialogue in English and Yolngu Matha.
The film came about in an unusual fashion: having worked together on The Tracker and Ten Canoes, de Heer realised Gulpilil needed help when he visited him in jail two years ago.
Knowing the acclaimed star of such films as Walkabout, Storm Boy and Crocodile Dundee was due for parole soon – he had been sentenced for assaulting his partner while they were both drunk – de Heer decided to make a film that would help his long-time friend rebuild his life.
Charlie's Country has screened at more than a dozen festivals around the world and Gulpilil won best actor in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival.
"David and I are delighted that Charlie's Country is Australia's nomination," de Heer said. "For me, it's a privilege; for David, it's the crowning achievement in an extraordinary 44-year acting career."
Australia has only had a handful of entries for the foreign-language Oscar, including de Heer's Ten Canoes, Cate Shortland's Lore, Warwick Thornton's Samson and Delilah and Kim Mordaunt's The Rocket.
Australia is yet to have a nomination in the category. To be eligible for consideration, a film must have predominantly non-English dialogue.
