Gillian Armstrong’s documentary about triple Oscar winner, late designer Orry-Kelly, will be launched at the Sydney Film Festival with a world premiere aboard a cruise liner.

The Women He’s Undressed documentary premieres onboard the Sun Princess Theatre in Sydney Harbour on Wednesday. 

The Kiama-born designer created wardrobes for the silver screen from the 1930s to 1960s.

Orry George Kelly, as he was known away from the limelight, won Oscars for costume design for his work on An American in Paris (1952), Les Girls (1958) and Some Like It Hot (1960), and was nominated for Gypsy (1963).

Kiama and District Historical Society president Sue Eggins said although some had been championing his cause within Australia for many years, she was pleased the late designer was finally receiving due recognition within his home country.

‘‘He’s very famous in America, but nobody knows of him in Australia, even though I’ve been talking about him since the late ‘80s,’’ she laughed.

‘‘The film will put Kiama on the map; the theme of Kiama goes all the way through the movie.’’

Mrs Eggins assisted with the film’s research, helped select photographs included in the film and chose the location shots around Kiama. 

‘‘They’re using photos from the Pilot’s Cottage Museum - one is used predominantly throughout the film,’’ she said. 

Armstrong and crew also filmed interviews in the US and shot footage in Sydney.

Women He’s Undressed will screen in what the festival claims is the first premiere ever to take place on a ship in Australia.

‘‘We could not think of anything more appropriate and exciting than to have our premiere on a grand ship on the very harbour young penniless Orry-Kelly sailed from in 1922 with dreams of showbiz success,’’ Armstrong said.

Mrs Eggins won’t be attending the premiere, but saw the film at a preview screening last year.

‘‘The film is lovely, it’s excellent,’’ she said. 

The film will have a national theatrical release on July 16, and Mrs Eggins said a screening in Kiama had been proposed.

The film is based on Orry-Kelly’s recently recovered, unpublished tell-all memoir, Women I’ve Undressed.

His memoir was written by Kelly before his death in 1964.

It allegedly includes details about actor Cary Grant.

The memoir, which will also feature photographs from the Pilot’s Cottage Museum will finally be released on August 1. 

During research for Women He’s Undressed, Kelly’s Oscar statuettes were discovered in an unmarked box at the Warner Bros archive in Los Angeles.

The lost Oscars are heading to Australia for an exhibition, Orry-Kelly: Dressing Hollywood, at Melbourne’s Australian Centre for the Moving Image in August.

An exhibition is also taking place at the Kiama museum, located on Blowhole Point Road.

Mrs Eggins said author Robert Parkinson was writing a biography of Kelly, and had visited Kiama.

‘‘It’s been very exciting for everything to happen at once,’’ she said. 

Kelly was born in 1897 and lived in Kiama until he left school and went to Sydney to become an apprentice tailor.

He went overseas in 1923 but his father died in 1924. Kelly returned home, arriving in time for his funeral.

The Pilot’s Cottage Museum exhibition is open Friday to Monday from 11am-3pm.