AustLit

The Shadow King follows acclaimed Indigenous actor, Tom E Lewis, as he prepares for the greatest challenge of his career; to create an Indigenous adaptation of Shakespeare’s epic familial tragedy King Lear. Drawing on observational footage, intimate interviews and dramatised vignettes, the film reveals the personal, creative and cultural challenges faced by Lewis as he brings this sprawling tale to life. From the red earth of Southern Arnhem Land to Shakespeare’s world stage, The Shadow King unflinchingly follows Lewis as he traverses, with wit, passion and deep insight, the complex issues of land, kinship and spirituality that form unlikely bedfellows in both King Lear and the world of contemporary Aboriginal life in northern Australia.' (Source: Documentary Australia Foundation website)