Students from Strathfield South High School have launched their half-hour film, We are all Australian, which examines multiculturalism, stereotyping and racism.

The project was initiated by the school’s music teacher Margaret King and funded by the Australian Government’s Living in Harmony program.

“When the Cronulla riots happened, I wanted the students to be able to respond in an appropriate way, that could make a difference,” Ms King said.

Filmed in collaboration with Windsor High School, the film is about students from predominantly Lebanese and Asian backgrounds getting to know students living in a mainly Anglo-Saxon community.

Both groups discovered how their initial impressions changed when they spent time getting to know each other.

The film also features interviews with the local community and academics, who discussed how racial generalisations ignored the broad spectrum of personal differences found in any group of people.

Rochelle Y, one of around 130 South Strathfield High School students involved in the project, said she realised that despite “blonde hair and blue eyes”, the students from Windsor were “just the same as us”.

She also said it was the best experience of her high school life and the students were proud of the positive response their film had generated.