PAPERLESS FILMS & EXILE ENTERTAINMENT PRESENT PAPER CHAMPIONS Directed by Jo-Anne Brechin 2020/ AUSTRALIA/ 83 MINS/ ENGLISH LANGUAGE THE FILM Title: PAPER CHAMPIONS Production Company: Paperless films & Exile Entertainment Year: 2020 Country: Australia Running time: 83 mins Genre: Comedy Language: English Shooting format: Arri Alexa. Prores 444 3.2k Format: DCP Aspect: 2.35:1 Audio format: 5.1 Dolby Digital Location: Geelong, Australia Director: Jo-Anne Brechin Writers: Luke Saliba & James Pratt Co-Written by: Michael F.J. McCallum Producers: Alexandros Ouzas, Luke Saliba and Erin Saliba Executive Producers: Robbert Costa Keith Fagg David & Gale Derham Barry Fagg Michael Peck Phil Hunt Compton Ross Associate Producer: Tom Harberd Line Producer: Tessa Mansfield Hung Director of Photography: Rudi Siira Sound: James Browning Production Designer: Bianca Milani Editor: Adrian Powers Sound Design: Ryan Granger & Adam Hunt Music by: James Orr & Emily Swanson Main cast: Luke Saliba John Tui Gary Sweet Kaarin Fairfax Tessa De Josselin Genevieve Morris LOGLINE Paper Champions is an uplifting comedy about Rey, a young man who wants to find love despite having lost his 'Mana'. SYNOPSIS Rey is a regular guy, working a regular job, living a regular life. After spending 10 years in a job he doesn’t like, he realises all of his skills can be summed up in a pamphlet. A surge of inspiration causes Rey to quit, forcing him further outside his comfort zone than he's ever ventured before. Slowly, Rey's life begins to take shape, but not without the help of his old work colleague and best mate Wade: a big man, with an even bigger heart. After a backyard rugby incident involving Wade’s cousins, Rey is rushed to the local clinic where he meets Holly. There is immediate chemistry between the two but Rey is unable to muster up the courage to ask Holly on a date. Wade and his cousins explain to Rey that he needs to find his Mana. To have Mana implies influence, authority, and efficacy—the ability to perform in a given situation. Rey sets out in search of his Mana with some help from his mum’s new lover Terry. Being an ex-wrestler himself, Terry thinks he has the key to bringing Rey out of his shell. In the ropes of Terry's wrestling ring, Rey begins to find his Mana. After putting an old man in a coma, Rey crosses paths with Holly once again. Using his newfound confidence, Rey asks Holly out on a date. But just as their relationship begins to blossom, his old anxieties get the best of him. In a quirky and loveable story, Rey must rely on a Polynesian family, a Spanish dance teacher, an ex-wrestler, and all of his friends to help him become the Paper Champion. INTERVIEW WITH THE DIRECTOR What attracted you to directing this film? For me, the Paper Champions script leapt off the page with heart and humour. It had a unique sense of comedy and layers of themes that really resonated with me. I think it’s a story that will appeal to every man, everyone dating a man, and most definitely, anyone raising a man. Please describe your working method and the atmosphere on set. With independent films you always have to work fast, no questions asked. So the key to success is being prepared. I was fortunate enough to have an amazing DOP, Rudi Siira who is as organised as me and was as passionate about having a detailed and well-documented shot list and game plan so that when we stepped onto set each day, we knew exactly what we needed, and how we were going to get it, and from there, we could just play. This helped create a relaxed and joyous atmosphere on set where everyone could be present and stay in the moment. Which helps a lot when you’re creating comedy How did you decide on the shooting style for the film? The style was inspired by the story. In act one, Rey’s life is a rigid and structured existence, and so the film’s style and shot choices needed to reflect this. We opted for symmetrical, centred, and locked-off shots to draw the audience into Rey’s world. Then, as Rey journeys beyond his safety zone, the style and shot choices morph into a more handheld, visceral style to map his transformation across the film. Please share a few words about your actors. The cast of Paper Champions were stellar. With the likes of Gary Sweet, John Tui and Genevieve Morris bringing decades of experience to the set, their energy and vibrance elevated everyone around them. I’ve never experienced a more generous cast. What did you learn during the course of making this film? In most cases a director is the first creative onboard a project, and helps hand pick the cast and crew. But when I attached to Paper Champions, all HODs and most cast had already been attached. In a way, I was the last one in. At first this concept seems a little scary, stepping into a cast and crew I didn’t know, and had never worked with before. But what Paper Champions taught me is that taking a leap of faith, shaking it up, and collaborating with fresh voices is so liberating and produces results better than I could have hoped for. THE DIRECTOR - JO-ANNE BRECHIN Jo-Anne is an award-winning writer and director who specialises in crafting nuanced performances from both trained actors and real people. As an AFTRS graduate, Jo-Anne brings bold stories to screen across commercial content, as well as short and long form drama and documentary. In 2017 Jo-Anne directed her debut feature film Zelos in partnership with Screen Australia, Definition ​ Films (The Water Diviner, Samson & Delilah) and The Steve Jaggi Company (Rip Tide, Back of the ​ ​ ​ Net). ​ Her second feature film Paper Champions features John Tui (The Hobbit, Fast & Furious, Solo: A Star ​ ​ Wars Story), Gary Sweet (The Pacific, House Husbands) and Genevieve Morris (Ride Like A Girl, ​ ​ ​ ​ Bloom) and is due for theatrical release in 2020. ​ Her short drama and documentary films have aired on SBS and have screened in film festivals across Australia and around the world, including most recently, in the Academy-Accredited competition at Flickerfest. Commercially, she has created TVCs and content for brands including Red Bull, Samsung, Virgin Australia, Coles, NAB, ING Direct, First State Super, Headspace, Tourism Australia, Cochlear, Colonial First State and Greenpeace. Jo-Anne currently has multiple projects in development, including a comedy web series, various feature scripts and two TV series. THE PRODUCERS ALEXANDROS OUZAS Alexandros Ouzas is the founder and Managing Director of Exile Entertainment, a Film & TV production and distribution company based in Melbourne. LUKE SALIBA Luke has produced and written three short films in the past five years including working alongside Guy Pearce and award winning cinematographer Mike Wylam for the short film Lorne. The next short ​ ​ Luke wrote and starred in was Rey. After Rey’s festival success Luke wrote Paper Champions and ​ ​ dove into producing his first feature, which led to the beginning of Paperless Films. ERIN SALIBA Erin Saliba is co-director of Paperless Films. This is her first feature as a producer. She has had ​ experience in various roles in the past from leading large teams and producing content for companies including the ABC. PRODUCERS NOTES PAPER CHAMPIONS was produced by Paperless Films & Exile Entertainment and is an adaptation of the 2016 short film Rey. The film is distributed by Umbrella Entertainment. ​ ​ ​ ​ The film follows its protagonist, Rey, as he navigates the different notions of 'Manhood' while ​ discovering his inner power. It is a light-hearted comedy that combines the best of Australian and New Zealand comedy, something audiences are yet to see. The film was shot in the Producers’ regional hometown of Geelong. Geelong is full of diverse ​ locations with a small community feel, making it an ideal place for production. It is the first time in Geelong’s long history that a large scale, independent film has been written, produced, funded, and shot entirely in the town. The film is a testament to the support of the local community and the idea that anything is possible with hard work and determination. The film was funded through a ​ combination of Geelong based investors, the Producer’s Offset and Film Victoria through its Regional Funding. The film was shot on location in just 19 days. We are excited to share this film as it holds a ​ special place in our hearts and of those who were involved in bringing this film together. PAPER CHAMPIONS DIRECTED BY JO-ANNE BRECHIN WRITTEN BY LUKE SALIBA JAMES PRATT PRODUCED BY LUKE SALIBA ERIN SALIBA ALEXANDROS OUZAS CO-WRITTEN BY MICHAEL F.J. MCCALLUM LINE PRODUCER TESSA MANSFIELD-HUNG EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS ROBERT COSTA KEITH & HEATHER FAGG DAVID AND GALE DERHAM BARRY FAGG MICHAEL PECK PHIL HUNT COMPTON ROSS ASSOCIATE PRODUCER TOM HARBERD DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY RUDI SIIRA EDITED BY ADRIAN POWERS ORIGINAL SCORE BY JAMES ORR SOUND DESIGNER RYAN GRANGER ADAM HUNT COSTUME DESIGNER GRETA WEINER HAIR & MAKEUP DESIGNER SAM PEARCE CASTING BY MELANIE MACKINTOSH UNIT PRODUCTION MANAGER EVE GAILEY FIRST ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANDREW PANTE SECOND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANNA CHARALAMBOUS 2ND ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANDREA MERSITS 3RD ASSISTANT DIRECTOR HAYDEN MUSTICA GEMMA MURPHY HANNAH KOCH CAST REY LUKE SALIBA WADE JOHN TUI TERRY GARY SWEET HOLLY TESSA DE JOSSELIN LINDA GENEVIEVE MORRIS MORINE KAARIN FAIRFAX RICCO ADAM FIORENTINO STEPH ERIN SALIBA RODNEY CHRIS FORTUNA PRUE FRANCESCA WATERS GEOFFREY JUSTIN KENNEDY KENIFE DAVID FANE ARDI MICHAEL LOGO JEROME JASON KATU KIAN ROAMAN AKAI MATIU TAMA TAUALI'I ANIKA ESITA MORGAN ANA CECILIA LOW LIMA CHARLIE