Streets of Colour.

The powerful new Australian drama Streets Of Colour will have its world premiere at Sydney’s historic Hayden Orpheum Cinema on June 26.

“The idea for the film came from my personal experiences suffering at the hands of racism as a child, all the way through to my adult life. The brutality I witnessed was very confronting and frightening, how people treated me because I looked different. Those haunting images followed me for a long time. It wasn’t until it happened to me again in my 30s that I put pen to paper,” says Streets Of Colour writer and director, Ronnie S. Riskalla.

Streets Of Colour bristles with self-identity and anger while making a desperate plea for peace and understanding. Boasting an extraordinary lead performance from Rahel Rohman (The Combination, Shantaram, Here Out West), and a white-hot authenticity rarely glimpsed in Australian cinema, Streets Of Colour is a truly contemporary and utterly unforgettable work.

Tez (Rahel Rohman), a young Middle-Eastern man from Sydney’s western suburbs, faces the challenges of being from a different culture and growing up in a misunderstood neighbourhood. He hates who he is and the skin he was born in. After a life changing event forces Tez to lose his pregnant girlfriend, along with his friends and everything he cares for, he turns to using and dealing drugs, careening downward on a self-destructive spiral. It takes true love – and an emotional journey of self-discovery, culture and spirituality – for Tez to ultimately find his redemption.

Streets of Colour.

“I’ve had a passion for films since the age of five, and I was always drawn to stories that were meaningful and that affected me as a viewer,” says Ronnie S. Riskalla. “As much as I got lost in Hollywood fantasy films, I always found solace in real-world stories. The reason I wanted to tell this specific story is because it has the potential to be a captivatingly truthful depiction of people in our society. It will provide a gripping look into a world that is familiar to many, but also the underground world that a lot of people would never experience – the world of Western Sydney,” says Ronnie. The story is inspired by and loosely based on Riskalla’s own life.

Both a deeply personal story of struggle and redemption, and a wider look at a vibrant working-class community decimated and destabilised by drugs, violence and cultural discord. It is truthful depiction which spotlights the good, bad and the ugly and the people caught between it all.

Streets Of Colour is a strong film from a passionate filmmaker wired directly into what is happening in Australia right now. Streets Of Colour literally demands to be seen.

“We couldn’t be more excited about getting this incredible film in front of local audiences,” says Dov Kornits, the managing director of distributor Screen Inc. “We’re certain that the film will kick-start some very, very interesting conversations. We can’t wait for the premiere on June 26.”

Further exciting news about the Streets of Colour release coming soon.

Streets of Colour is distributed in Australia and New Zealand by Screen Inc. The film is produced by SkyCross Entertainment, in association with Frankendipity Enterprises and Rishi Raj Films, with Chief Executive Producer Dr. Raj Patankar and Executive Producers Drew Pearson and Nenif David.

Streets Of Colour will premiere on June 26 at The Hayden Orpheum in Sydney. Details here.

ADVERTISEMENT