"Funny and poignant ... performance are brilliant ... a courageous film." Rosemary Neill THE AUSTRALIAN

"A story of loyalty and friendship amid the racism of a seaside town." Murray Bramwell THE AUSTRALIAN

KEVIN HARRINGTON stars as coach Arks

"It's about all kinds of courage it takes to grow up in a country that still refuses to. It's about taking a stand, about resposibilities, of manhood and nationhood. It's about relationships between fathers and sons, mothers and sons, husbands and wives, blackfellas and whitefellas. It's about the courage it takes to love. I wanted to make a film that talked back to this big, secret country we live in." Paul Goldman DIRECTOR/CO-WRITER

Insight Work on the screenplay for AUSTRALIAN RULES began even before the novel it is based on was published. Paul Goldman, already good friends with the author andsoon-to-be co-screenwriter Phillip Gwynne, read the manuscript and felt immediatelythat the book, titled Deadly, Unna? had legs as a film. Awards followed the publication of the book by Penguin in 1997. The story’s unique approach to issues of maleness, adolescence and racism soon found it a wide audience among educators. The book’s sheer entertainment value, highly charged emotionalissues and character conflicts created a devoted following of young people whose firstexposure to the story was via their school curricula. As Paul and Phillip began writing, they decided that the characters, situations andissues deserved to reach people of all ages, and set out to expand the story’s appeal to a wider audience. They let some of the inherent darkness and complexity of the storybegin to permeate the screenplay, and arrived after four years at a script able to speak not only to teenagers, but also former teenagers.Mark Lazarus’ involvement came early in the development process. While tracking the picture for Fox Icon Productions, he fell in love with it and began to participate in the development of the story. When Fox Icon ended, he asked to produce the film. Mark brought to the project some of the script and finance know-how he obtained from his career as an executive, and helped to shape it for potential investors and production. Once the picture went out into the marketplace, it was picked up by the first people to read it. The Adelaide Festival of Arts and SBS Independent (a public broadcaster), were producing a group of films together under the title "Shedding Light" to premiere at the arts festival in 2002. Then Showtime Australia came in followed by The South Australian Film Corporation. Palace Films and Beyond International followed, won over by the story’s depth, emotional resonance and inventiveness. The Australian Film Finance Corporation came in to complete the picture, and they are the majority investor. Without them, most Australian films would simply never be made. The shoot was a difficult yet rewarding (aren’t they all?), seven weeks plagued by the wettest beginning of winter in South Australia for a decade. A unique hazard was shooting much of the football training and the main character’s house under the training area for a flight school. Despite the cold, the wet and the buzzing of training planes, the cast and crew were able to turn in a stellar result. Before the film was completed, it was selected for and had its world premiere in the World Cinema section of the Sundance Film Festival in January 2002. Its Australian premiere was in March at the Adelaide Festival. Adapting a novel to a film requires changes in drama and pace and characters. The action in AUSTRALIAN RULES takes place over one week, whereas in the novel it was spread over a year. Changes were also made to the important dramatic event: the shooting in the pub. In the novel the publican shoots two intruders, but in the film, for greater dramatic effect, the shooting is carried out by Blacky’s father. This creates a different tension. It was impossible to find a town that answered all the production’s needs: the setting was incredibly well imagined, but it simply didn’t exist. The production team cobbled together a wide variety of locations from Adelaide and its environs to create the unique world of Prospect Bay: a place with few prospects. Even the author Phillip Gwynne assisted in finding just the right settings for the story. He set off on a week long fishing trip pulling into every town he came across, dropping a line in, and taking location photographs. "Australian Rules" is based on Phillip Gwynne’s award winning novel, "Deadly, Unna?", first published in 1998. Set in the Port, a shabby fishing town, "Deadly, Unna?", tells the story of Gary 'Blacky' Black, his troubled relationship with his father and his friendship with Dumby Red, an Aboriginal boy from the Point. The star player in the town team, Dumby Red seems destined for a professional football career. The friendship between the two boys flourishes despite the deep suspicion between the two communities, the Port and the Point. Gwynne, together with his friend, director Paul Goldman, would adapt "Deadly, Unna?" into the screenplay. Following this, Phillip wrote a second novel, "Nukkin’ Ya!" (indigenous slang for 'see you later'), published in 2000, which interweaves the characters and story lines of both the book and the film. Phillip has stated that the writing of this sequel was directly influenced by the process of working on the screenplay for the film, and the romance between Blacky and Clarence (a modern day Romeo and Juliet), so central to the films narrative, is in fact to be found in Nukkin’ Ya! As for the cast: "Australian Rules" is Nathan Phillip’s first feature film role. In 2000, Nathan completed a Bachelor of Arts studying English and Drama at Melbourne’s Latrobe University. His theatre work includes his own standup comedy show for the Comedy Festival. He has appeared in television shows including Neighbours, Eugenie Sandler P.I.(an Australian Broadcasting Corporation Drama series) and he also had a regular lead role in the popular ABC children’s program "The Saddle Club". Luke Carroll has worked extensively in television with highlights including roles in All Saints, Heartbreak High, Water Rats and Ocean Girl. Lisa Flanagan’s first screen appearance was a small role in Rabbit Proof Fence. As a child she regularly performed at NAIDOC (National Aboriginal Indigenous Day of Observance Committee) Youth Concerts, sang in the school choir and was a keen sports player. Born and raised in Adelaide, this is her first feature film role. Kevin Harrington studied drama at the Victorian College of the Arts and since the early 1980s has brought his uniquely Australian blend of humour and pathos to a variety of productions. He has been a regular performer with Melbourne’s premier theatre companies; Playbox and the Melbourne Theatre Company. He is much loved for his role in the popular and award winning ABC TV series Seachange; a programme which captured the attention of the nation. A Troubled Past Rears Its Head This is a story of racism, hatred, stupidity, growing up, wife beating, rape, theft, love, death, courage and loyalty. No wonder there were calls by parts of the community to have "Australian Rules" banned prior to its debut at the 2002 'Adelaide Festival of Arts' where it featured in a small but effective film festival aptly called "Shedding Light". It's not a pretty film but it is certainly colorful. It's both dark and sad, yet in parts very funny. Those who appear in "Australian Rules" produce characters who are down to earth, at times troubled, at times deeply dark and threatening and in the main to be pitied, hated , loved or applauded for reasons that are revealed within this powerful, cutting story. Overall it isn't a pretty sight, but it is wonderful to view and ponder over this masterfully penned adaption of the award winning novel "Deadly, Unna?" by Phillip Gwynne. There's the local football team made up of aboriginal lads and white teens. Led by a coach nicknamed 'Arks' [Kevin Harrington] who doubles as the town butcher they are a lively bunch of scallywags headed into a grand final and a chance at a premiership flag. The star of the team is Dumby Red [Luke Carroll], a young coloured player with heaps of talent who could be signed by a talent scout if all goes well. His best mate Gary 'Blacky' Black [played by Nathan Phillips] hasn't a smidgen of talent in his bones but his stella quality is loyalty. They are good mates. At home things aren't too good for Gary, his father Bob [Simon Westaway] is a ruthless bastard most of the time, treats his wife like crap and forces her to have sex with him when he's had a skinfull. It's easy to dislike this mongrel. The colored protaganist in "Australian Rules" is Pretty [Tony Black] an angry young man, full of hatred and fire who lives at the nearby mission. These are just a few of the colorful, wonderful characters you'll meet in a most remarkable film aptly named "Australian Rules". In the main, while "Australian Rules" may be a film with a central theme of 'football' it is also an opportunity to kick around a 'football' of another description, a politically hot 'football'. One emblazoned with a deep seated distrust between the the whiteman and the blackfella, the inherent racism that festers between two proud and highly accomplished groups of 'australians' and the unanswered questions that are still to be resolved before this country can truly be united. In a country that prides itself on achievement, its acceptance of migrants, its social & racial anti discrimination rules there are still, unfortunately, no rules binding both black and white into one great nation and one great brotherhood that can hold its head up proudly as one nation, one people, one Australia. The question on everyones mind as they leave the theatre will be, 'by what rules' and how long do we have to wait! The Story 'play by the rules. live by the rules.' The footy season is headed for its finale` and in Prospect Bay, a dirty coastal fishing town in South Australia the local team, made up of colored boys from "the mish" and the local white boys, has made it into the grand final and will be up against the tough team from Gunnaroo. Led by coach Arks [how many times do I have to arks youse] they are determined to do well but they need a ruckman. That job falls to young Gary 'Blacky' Black, a 16 year old team member will a decided lack of talent. He's great mates with the teams champion player Dumby Red who has caught the eye of a talent scout from the big smoke. Little does the town realize though, what winning the grand final will bring to everyone. Plenty that's not much good! Like cheating, robbery, violence and a shooting, to name a few! The celebrations will soon see the community divided as hatred and fear runs rampant through the small population. The grand final will sadly reveal the worse in everyone that this event touches. Who will survive? Who will stay? Who will leave? The Verdict "A remarkable cast combine to make this one hell of an australian story. A mixture of vitriolic, caustic drama, tinged with sadness, humour, illicit love, mateship and loyalty, "Australian Rules" is a warts and all look at the undercurrent of racism that pervades the 'lucky country' to this very day. "Australian Rules" is a lively, well constructed Australian film which brings to the screen a glimpse of the darker, ugly side of Australian life. Wonderfully entertaining, this highly controversial film certainly deserves the critical accliam that has been afforded to it. No hesitation in recommending this film to all and sundry." The Cast

	Nathan Phillips Luke Carroll Lisa Flanagan Tom Budge Simon Westaway Celia Ireland Kevin Harrington Tonny Briggs Martin Vaughan Kelton Pell Max Fairchild Nick Readman Eileen Darcy Reece Horner Michael Habib	... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...		Gary 'Blacky' Black Dumby Red Clarence Pickles Bob Black Liz Black Arks Pretty Darcy Tommy Red Big Mac Teamman Shirl Mark Arks Tom McGuane

Directed by Paul Goldman Screenplay by Paul Goldman & Phillip Gwynne Original music by Mick Harvey Location:Filmed in South Australia Run Time 98 minutes Rated M15+ [AUST] Language:English Copyright©2002 - Tidy Town Pictures - All Rights Reserved ©2002 - Impact Internet Services & The Movie Pages- All Rights Reserved