Maltese actress Frances Duca has been nominated for best supporting actress in the Australian equivalent of the Oscars.
Other nominees in the category at the Australian Academy Cinema Television Arts (AACTA) include Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman for her role in Lion. The film Ali's Wedding has been nominated in eight categories at this year's AACTA.
Ms Duca's role in Ali's Wedding sees her playing the mother of a muslim Iraqi refugee who struggles with his life and family expectations.
Frances Duca plays the role of a Muslim mother. Photo: AACTA"I'm still quite in shock since I received the news this morning. It wasn't expected at all. I've been acting since 1995, but this is my very first feature film. So, I'm feeling very emotional," Ms Duca told Times of Malta.
Ali's Wedding is built on a true story about a young Muslim living in multicultural Australia, with parents who came as Iraqi refugees. He is now trying to find his own way through life as the son of a Muslim cleric in Melbourne.
"It is a Muslim story about the 99 per cent we usually don't hear about in the media. And this is what makes it so important, because it is a story to be proud of, opening a window of insights into a bigger part of society. At the end of the day, the story about Ali has a universal theme - to follow your heart," Ms Duca said.
The actress admits it was a challenge playing the part.
"I wasn't playing myself, not being a mum, Arabic, nor Muslim. The most important thing for me when researching for the role was to make sure I didn't do anything that would come over as offensive to the Muslim community because it's a very different culture and religion to what I know."
"However, I was lucky as most of my scenes were with Osamah Sami, who plays himself in the film (Ali), and so I would turn to him for advice and pick his brains on cultural points."
The most important thing for me when researching for the role was to make sure I didn't do anything that would come over as offensive to the Muslim community because it's a very different culture and religion to what I know.
Additionally, the more contextualised Muslim stories have been missing in the public, according to Ms Duca.
"It is a very timely release. It would be good timing for a European release also. Unfortunately the stories of the one per cent tend to overshadow stories we never hear about,” she explained.
"Plus it's a very good story, a true story, a feel-good story that will make you gasp, laugh out loud and also shed a tear. I'm proud of being part of this film."
Ms Duca, who left Malta in the late 1980s, and studied at Guildhall School of Music & Drama, says she feels like having a dual identity.
"When you live abroad you feel you are Maltese but then when you visit your home country you feel like a foreigner there... Receiving a nomination like this however makes one identify with the Maltese 'we can achieve things as well' kind of spirit!"
The actress hopes the nomination will raise her profile to such an extent that she will achieve her dream of earning a living purely from the performing arts.
"It has been many years of struggling and with constantly asking myself whether or not to continue acting. This nomination feels like a reward in itself," Ms Duca said.
The winners in all categories will be presented at the AACTA Awards Ceremony in The Star Event Centre in Sydney on December 6.
Click here for an interview with Frances Duca last August.