BBFF23:Kaugere - World Premiere with Q&A

Synopsis

Set amid the squalor of one of Papua New Guinea’s infamous settlements, this documentary is a modern-day parable of once tribal men finding their feet through the game of rugby league.

Footy coach Albert Muri is no stranger to crime and the raskol gangs that tore his family apart. Police gunned down his eldest son and his second son serves life in prison. Albert’s last great hope is his youngest son, Dia who helps him train a local rugby team, channelling criminal minds into sporting heroes.

But Dia treads a fine line between good and evil as he lives forever in the shadows of his gangster brothers. While the odds are against him, Dia triumphs as captain of the national basketball team but his boyhood dreams of becoming an NRL hero are shattered with a shoulder injury.

Meanwhile, Albert awaits the return of his pardoned son, Desmond. But what future is there in a settlement that more closely resembles a slum? Running water is a rare commodity yet the echoes of domestic disputes a daily occurrence. And yet Desmond, just like Dia, dreams only to play rugby again…

With a backdrop of police brutality, domestic violence and detribalization, Albert’s devotion to change is heartwarming. But is it enough to redeem his family and save his community?

Despite the underbelly of poverty and mayhem, Kaugere is a surprisingly uplifting story about one man’s simple humanity and decency. Albert’s tireless devotion elevates the film beyond a recitation of third world problems into, cliché notwithstanding, a celebration of the human spirit.

Kaugere will screen with a short film and feature a Q&A with the filmmakers.