by Dov Kornits
“I made Streets of Colour to share my experiences growing up in Western Sydney,” says writer/director Ronnie S. Riskalla. “It’s an authentic portrayal of urban life that is rarely seen on screen. We always think of Sydney as being the city-suburbs with our great landmarks, but there is an interesting world of people out there that are grappling with racism, drugs, cultural and self-identity. I wanted to make a film for the people who can relate, to give hope to others.”
He’s not wrong. Australian cinema rarely delves into the outer suburbs, and based on this very brief but promising teaser, we are excited to see much more, especially with Rahel Romahn (Heath Ledger Scholarship winner and recently sparring with Michael Sheen on the stage in Amadeus) in the leading role.
Produced by Yolandi Franken, Streets of Colour follows Tez, a 25-year-old drug dealer grappling with a cultural identity crisis and drug addiction, who loses custody of his son after being held responsible for the death of his best friend in a racist street fight. He must clean up his act before it’s too late.
Streets of Colour 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 release in Australia in 2023, with distribution and sales in other regions to follow.
