IT WAS the moment Frances Djulibing knew she wanted to be an actor.

The teenage Djulibing was at an outdoor cinema in the Northern Territory watching The Seven Year Itch and was instantly fascinated by the legendary screen idol Marilyn Monroe.

Now the indigenous actor, a star of the AFI award-winning film Ten Canoes, has re-enacted Monroe's most famous scene to promote the Message Sticks Indigenous Film Festival.

Djulibing is the star of the documentary River Of No Return, which charts her aspirations as an actor and her passion for Monroe.

"She is a traditional, tribal Aboriginal woman, but I guess Frances could see something in Marilyn that resonated with her own experience," said documentary director Darlene Johnson.

River Of No Return screened at the Sydney Film Festival last night, with Djulibing as the special guest. The film will also open the Message Sticks festival at the Opera House on July 4.