An award-winning Australian filmmaker is facing a possible jail term over what a Perth judge described as "disgraceful" and "astonishing" conduct towards his former girlfriend and police who were called when he would not let her leave his house.

Key points: Daniel Houghton faced court convicted of five charges including deprivation of liberty

Daniel Houghton faced court convicted of five charges including deprivation of liberty He grabbed his girlfriend by her arms and threw her onto his bed during the incident

He grabbed his girlfriend by her arms and threw her onto his bed during the incident His lawyer said he was "extremely embarrassed" about what he had done

Daniel Houghton, who also goes by the names Jimmy Jack and Jimmy the Exploder, was previously best known for his work on the 2008 Australian film The Black Balloon, which starred Toni Collette, Erik Thomson and Gemma Ward.

That same year Houghton, 39, and the film's co-writer and director, Elissa Down, took out the Australian Film Institute Award for best original screenplay, along with several prestigious international awards.

More than a decade later, Houghton found himself in the dock of WA's District Court today after being convicted of five charges including deprivation of liberty, disorderly conduct, obstructing police and breaching his bail conditions.

Actors Rhys Wakefield and Gemma Ward in a scene from The Black Balloon. ( Supplied )

Stand-off at parents' house

The offences stemmed from an incident in January 2017 when, after having an argument with his then 20-year-old girlfriend, Houghton refused to let her leave his bedroom at his parents' Applecross home.

The court was told the ordeal lasted 15 to 25 minutes, during which time Houghton grabbed the woman by the arms, pushed her onto the bed, threw her bag against a wall and started pulling out his own hair.

The woman managed to text her mother who called police, and when two officers arrived at the house, Houghton became agressive towards them, demanding to know what the victim was saying and telling the police to leave the property.

He also recorded them on his phone.

At one point he sat in the middle of the driveway to stop the officers removing his partner's car, and when he repeatedly refused to calm down, he was placed in handcuffs and put in the back of a police van.

Houghton won an Australian Film Institute Award for his work on The Black Balloon. ( AAP: Tracey Nearmy )

Prosecutor Gabrielle Clarke said Houghton then started to yell and kick the sides of the van before becoming what she described as "passive resistant" at the Fremantle police station.

He refused to answer questions and had to be carried by four officers into a cell.

Houghton was later released on bail with a condition he not contact the woman, but three weeks later he approached her and one of her friends at a pub in Northbridge.

Houghton was 'out of control', judge says

Defence lawyer Wendy Hughes said Houghton was "extremely embarrassed and ashamed" about what he had done, and had since sought psychological counselling which he was continuing, along with completing an anger management course.

She said Houghton had been working in the United States, but his convictions meant it could be unlikely he would get a visa to return to the country.

Houghton also won a Crystal Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. ( Myspace: MisterExploder )

Judge Ronald Birmingham said the recording Houghton made of what happened with the police "showed a person well and truly out of control".

"I was amazed at the patience showed by the police officers, given his behaviour at the time and the way he spoke to them. They went above and beyond the call of duty," he said.

"For him to be tasered would not have been remarkable. The police officers really were quite exceptional."

Judge Birmingham described Houghton's conduct as unacceptable, saying he was "a 40-year-old man going out with a 20-year-old woman [who] behaved disgracefully".

"He's had considerable success in life with Black Balloon, it's deserving of credit … but to behave as he did with that background is astonishing," he said.

Houghton wiped away tears as Judge Birmingham told him that the "default position" would usually be an immediate term of imprisonment, but he said there were factors which he had to consider before determining whether the term could be suspended.

Houghton was released on bail and will be sentenced at the end of next month.