Artistic endeavours are emerging as an unlikely but important uniting force in Melbourne's often-troubled South Sudanese community.
One man is taking a lead in shining a light on the community's many high achievers, most of whom are refugees from the war-ravaged nation.
South Sudanese refugee and emerging filmmaker Ez Eldin is proud of his series of short features, entitled Focus.
He says the productions highlight the constructive work of so many in the community and afford him an opportunity to tell the important stories.
"It's important for me to express myself in a way that I understand, in a way that I can be able to speak to other people who cannot really speak for themselves."
The latest short feature is on visual artist Marin Manyung, whose striking charcoal-and-pencil sketches depict the often-confronting images of life in war-ravaged South Sudan.
Mr Manyung says the objective of the drawings is to highlight the stark contrasts between life in Australia and his country of origin.
"Life here, it's not like over there, you know. This is like a dream world. And being misunderstood and being misjudged, sometimes you have to stop for a minute and take someone back to exactly where you come from."
So far, Ez Eldin's Focus series has highlighted social workers, students, lawyers, businesspeople and others.
His 2016 short film Big Brother, discouraging young South Sudanese men from excessive drinking, was widely acclaimed.
Marin Manyung says it has contributed to Ez Eldin becoming a leader and role model within the maligned community, largely through his will to promote positive stories of success.
"He sees the good in you, and then he drives you up. So, at the end of the day, he's not doing it for him, he's doing it for you. He's pushing you to follow your dreams a lot further. So it's something I'm proud to be a part of, because he's helping me take another step."
The 27-year old filmmaker's latest project is as a director's assistant on the much-anticipated drama series Sunshine.
It focuses on a young South Sudanese man in Melbourne's west aspiring to a basketball career in the United States college system.
Mr Eldin says it is his first glimpse at a larger-scale production.
"Each morning when I woke up, I was humbled to be part of a story that is very close to me, and, also, working with the industry people, learning how the film works and how the TV works."
Ez Eldin says he is well aware of the challenges confronting young people in the South Sudanese community and he endured his own struggles settling as a younger man.
But he says he worked hard to find a way.
"It's kind of very, very, very hard. I don't know how I found myself. One day, I picked up a camera, and I said, 'I'm going to hold onto that.' I was troublemaker to create change and also to fight for my own voice and find my own vision, and, I believe, if other people believe in me, that's a good thing.'"
Sunshine will screen on SBS later this year.
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