A young Melbourne-based director has won the second highest award in Cannes for short films with his 13-minute portrayal of restless teenagers in rural Victoria.
Julius Avery's Jerrycan won the Jury Prize at the 61st Cannes Film Festival in France overnight.
Set in regional Victoria, Jerrycan is about a teenager who risks everything after being bullied into making a life and death decision.
The film, which used locals instead of actors, was based on Avery's childhood.
Avery, 29, from Prahran in inner Melbourne, won the Emerging Australian Filmmaker Award at the 2006 Melbourne International Film Festival.
Last year, he won the Australian Directors Guild Award for best direction in a student film.