A coming-of-age Australian film featuring a St John The Evangelist Catholic High School year 11 student will be screened in Shoalhaven Heads.
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Reilly Hatwell, 16, is part of ensemble cast of teenagers who appear in the new film Bilched, touring regional centres of Australia including three stops (Wollongong, Nowra and Milton) on the NSW south coast in late March.
Sydney teenager Hal Cumpston's film Bilched is an honest and humorous look at life in the final days of high school. Hal, 19, wrote the first draft of the film in 10 days at the end of 2017.
Reilly lives with his family on their farm in Milton and his manager arranged for him to audition in October last year.
“I was so stoked when I got the call that they wanted to offer me a role in the film and that they thought my audition was hilarious," Reilly said.
Following the offer, Reilly and his Dad relocated to Sydney as filming took place on location in Coogee, Bondi and Tamarama from November to January.
Reilly, who has acted since he was 12, has been cast in short films and television commercials, but this was his first feature film. He praised the support of his sister Lilly, a fellow actor who has graduated from the National Institute of Dramatic Arts (NIDA).
“She helped my prepare for this audition," he said.
Although filming days were long with some nights ending at 2am, Reilly and the other cast members bonded on set and formed strong friendships, he said.
“It was really amazing hanging out with such talented and creative actors and Jeremy Cumpston the director was always really positive and encouraging," he said.
“There are well-known Australian actors in this film with many film credits to their names and I was so grateful to experience working alongside them."
Reilly plays the role of Kent in the film, which follows the sometimes wild teenage antics of their last days in year 12.
“Playing the role of Kent was really fun with hilarious scenes. I think young people will really relate to Kent’s experiences in the film," he said.
Bilched is screening at Shoalhaven Heads Community Centre on Wednesday, March 27. Some of the cast and crew will be in attendance on the night to answer questions and interact with audience members.
Bilched is touring regionally around the country before a national metropolitan and streaming release in June. Tickets Bilched.com.