Film actor David Gulpilil has taken out the prestigious Red Ochre Award at the 6th National Indigenous Arts Awards.
Awarded by the Australia Councils Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Arts Board on Monday, the Red Ochre is considered the highest accolade in Indigenous arts.
Previous recipients of the $50,000 prize have included Michael Leslie, Warren H Williams, Archie Roach and Jimmy Little.
Fifty-nine-year-old Gulpilil says he will use some of the prize money to fund jobs programs for young Indigenous Australians living in Arnhem Land.
"I want to take young people to come here and perform like I did," Gulpilil said on the steps of the Sydney Opera House, where he once danced for Queen Elizabeth II.
"I want young people to become film directors or film writers or a camera operator.
"I want to see Aboriginal kids growing up and learning so that they can tell the stories of Australia," he said. Gulpilil's career started in the 1971 film Walkabout, before he learnt to speak English.
He has since appeared in milestone films in Australian cinema including Tracker, Storm Boy, Two Hands, Crocodile Dundee and Australia.
While there is a noticeable spring in his step, it was only two years ago that Gulpilil was jailed for aggravated assault against his wife.
Admitting at the time to a drinking problem, Gulpilil has since completed alcohol rehab and given up drinking in a bid to turn his life around.
"I had a problem with drugs and alcohol and I quit," he said.
"It was too bad for me that I changed my mind so late but it's good for me because I want to live longer and make more movies."
Meanwhile, visual artist Jennifer Kemarre Martiniello and playwright Richard Franklin have received fellowships from the board, each worth $90,000 over two years.
Franklin plans to write a play depicting Australia's history through the eyes of aboriginal Australians.
He believes that art is the best way of educating non-Indigenous people about their often overlooked stories.
Rhonda Unurupa Dick is the recipient of the Dreaming Award, which is given to an artist aged between 18 and 26 to support a major body of work.
The Pitjantjatjara artist will use the prize money to study photography at the Australian Centre for Photography in Sydney under the mentorship of photographer Nici Cumpston.
