Bathurst will play host to ambitious Australian teen flick Bilched – and its star and crew – as well as a nationwide youth film festival on Thursday, March 14.

Bilched, a coming-of-age comedy written by Sydney teenager Hal Cumpston, will tour to Dubbo, Forbes, Orange and Bathurst before moving south in an Australia-wide tour.

The title Bilched is a slang term for a “life-changing adventure that defies logic” and the film is being described as an honest and humorous look at life in the final days of high school. 

The film follows anti-hero Hal on his mishap-laden journey at a penultimate end-of-school house party, after which it becomes glaringly obvious that he needs to stop cruising through life, face his fears, and follow his heart.

Cumpston's father, medical doctor, actor and theatre founder Dr Jeremy Cumpston, directed the film.

He said the family and crew will be travelling to every conceivable regional centre in Australia over three months to get bored but potentially brilliant teens involved in creative projects, and hopefully build a grassroots film fan base. 

“Once we have the backing of Australia’s regional teens, we will gun for a major metro release,” he said. 

“It’s an inversion on the usual film distribution model, and a cultural trend to watch.”

Successful short film submissions will be shown at local screenings and the best ones will be eligible for wider distribution and cash prizes.  

To buy screening tickets or submit a film to the Bilched Film Festival, visit www.bilched.com