“It’s when one shit team joins up with another shit team to make a slightly less shit team.“
Director Mark Grentell and producer Anne Robinson have joined forces with comedian/actor/writer Damian Callinan to adapt his stage show THE MERGER to the big screen. Umbrella Entertainment has now released a trailer, which you can check out below.
We first heard about THE MERGER back in May 2017 when the Screen Australia and Create NSW announced that they were providing production investment funding for the film. It combines two of Australia‘s most discussed topics: our response to the refugee crisis, and the footy.
READ MORE: Damian Callinan’s ‘The Merger’ gets Australian feature funding
The township of Bodgy Creek has seen better days: the population is dwindling, jobs are scarce and the litter has built up around the fading Tidy Town sign. The next victim of the town’s decline is the cash-strapped Aussie Rules footy club. Living a hermit-like existence on the town’s fringe, former football star Troy Carrington (Callinan) is coaxed into coaching after striking up an unlikely friendship with young Neil who is struggling with the recent loss of his father. Teaming up with Neil’s mum Angie (Kate Mulvany) who is running a nearby refugee support centre, they conspire to recruit refugees to ensure the team survives.
Shot on location in Wagga Wagga, and garnering official support from the AFL, it also stars John Howard, Nick Cody, Penny Cook, and a number of refugee voices both on camera and behind the scenes.
Callinan hopes that the film will serve as a message to all of Australia. “When you bother to listen and learn from what our refugees have actually been through, wanting to turn them away isn’t an option,” said Callinan.
Presented by Crow Crow Productions, Dream Genie Films, Definition Films, and distributed by Umbrella, no release date has been announced yet, but expect to see this later in the year.
