Rites of Passage film makes it to the small screen

Rites of Passage is a feature-length drama resulting from three years of filming inside some of the Illawarra's most interesting neighbourhoods.

The film is a work of fiction but its six storylines are devised and performed entirely by local youth, drawing from their life experiences of domestic violence, troubles at school and growing up, according to director Phil Crawford.

"The only thing is, they do such a good job of the performing that when people watch it they forget [the stories are fiction]," said Mr Crawford, from arts development agency Beyond Empathy.

"They're very realistic performances."

More than 150 young people were involved in the project, including a large cohort from Warrawong's Bundaleer Estate.

Filming was often a casual affair, with novice performers often summoned to a scene by an unexpected knock on their front door.

Participant Summer Harris said working on the project had worn away some of the divisions - drawn across postcode lines - between different groups of young people.

"Us kids here in Lego [Bundaleer Estate], we used to go to the pool in Berkeley then we'd have conflict with the guys from Berkeley - we'd give each other shit," she said.

"This [film has] brought everyone together."

Rites of Passage has collected awards at multiple film festivals - including at Warsaw, Poland, where it was awarded a Special Jury Prize in the Free Spirit Competition, for independent and rebellious films.

It was made according to 10 principles, including that all key actors be amateurs and residents of the community where the film is shot, and that the project should provide opportunities to people living with hardship.

Sarah Addison, also of Bundaleer, said involvement had propelled many participants onto training in and outside the film industry.

"There's the stereotype that the kids here will never amount to anything.

"But we have potential."

Rites of Passages will screen on ABC1 on Sunday at 10.30pm.