Bastardy | The Jack Charles Documentary

Welcome to the world of Jack Charles a world little known to most non-indigenous Australians.

Bastardy is the culmination of seven transformative years of hard work researching, following and filming, one of Australias near-forgotten treasures.

Provocative, funny and profoundly moving, Bastardy is a mesmerising, kaleidoscopic story of a homeless mans journey roaming the streets of present day Melbourne. The title of this international award-winning documentary comes from a play written in 1972 by legendary playwright John Romeril Bastardy based on the life story of Jack Charles, and performed by him in Melbourne.

Over seven years filmmaker Amiel Courtin-Wilson follows Jack gradually blurring the line between director and accomplice as Jack continually traverses the criminal and acting worlds. More than 120 hours were captured on camera and condensed into a documentary that presents the many incarnations of Jack Charles drug addict, critically acclaimed actor, cat burglar, prisoner and Aboriginal elder.

For 40 years and with infectious humor and optimism, Jack Charles has juggled a life of crime with another successful career acting. Since first founding the first Aboriginal company in the 1970s, Jack has performed with some of Australias most renowned actors (Geoffrey Rush, David Gulpillil, Bill Hunter) and directors in feature films (The Chant Of Jimmy Blacksmith, Bedevil), TV series and hundreds of plays.