Australian documentary Putuparri and the Rainmakers has now raked in more than $100,000 at the box office.
The film opened at Cinema Nova in Melbourne on October 1 and has had successful seasons at other key locations across the country and is still playing at Cinema Paradiso in Perth and the Cameo Cinema in Belgrave, Victoria.
The film is directed by Nicole Ma, produced by John Moore and distributed by Ronin Films.
Ronin Films managing director, Andrew Pike said it was a robust film about a delicate subject – the fragile line by which Indigenous culture is passed on from generation to generation.
"It is heartening to see such a subject reach a wide audience through Australian cinemas," he said.
"It’s success demonstrates that invaluable goodwill exists in Australian cinemas for feature-length documentaries.
"It’s a niche market that can sustain a commercially viable release.”
The film introduces the audience to the traditional rainmakers of Australia's Great Sandy Desert.
Ten years in the making, the film is an eyewitness account of the living traditions of Putuparri’s people.
It spans 20 transformative years in the life of Tom "Putuparri" Lawford as he navigates the deep chasm between his Western upbringing and his determination to keep his traditional culture alive.
Director, Nicole Ma, documents Putuparri's journey, travelling with him and his family on numerous occasions to Kurtal, a sacred waterhole in the Great Sandy Desert where they ritually make rain.
Kurtal is a site of deep spiritual significance for Putuparri and his family and the subject of a long term native title claim over the area.