Press release from Garage Entertainment
Garage Entertainment is today delighted to announce multi-award winning Australian actor Joel Edgerton as the highly anticipated narrator to FIGHTING FEAR in cinemas Nov 10 across Australia & New Zealand.
FIGHTING FEAR is the second feature documentary by exciting, young 28 year old Australian filmmaker Macario De Souza, whose debut feature documentary BRA BOYS became the highest grossing Australian documentary of all time and was narrated by Academy Award Winning actor Russell Crowe.
Joel Edgerton is a world-renowned actor with an incredible career to date spanning over fifteen years with performances across stage, television and film. Joel became a household name through the internationally successful Australian television series 'The Secret Life of Us', for which he won the AFI Award for best actor in a Leading Role in a Television Drama in 2002. Since then he has garnered over 50 film credits as an actor, including prominent roles most recently in STAR WARS II and III, ANIMAL KINGDOM & THE THING. Joel also stars in the MMA fighting drama WARRIOR alongside Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy, which opens in Australia October 27 and is currently in Sydney filming Baz Luhrmann's remake of THE GREAT GATSBY with Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire & Carey Mulligan.
Producer Michael Lawrence comments, "We are ecstatic to have Joel Edgerton as the narrator of the film. It was such a great fit given his current role in WARRIOR & his personal love of surfing, plus as soon as he saw the film, he connected with the film's core theme of friendship and wanted to be a part of FIGHTING FEAR. It has been a wonderful experience for all of us, especially young Australian filmmaker Macario De Souza getting to know Joel and his brother Nash through this process & to have such talented filmmakers extend their support to a fellow Australian filmmaker who is starting out in his career."
Joel Edgerton says about FIGHTING FEAR
"I thought the film was epic. It has some of the best surf footage I have ever seen & great fight footage but the undercurrents of friendship and support & inspiring other people through friendship was really valid & really struck a chord with me. I really responded to the movie because my brother and I are really close and our relationship, as much as we are brothers we are like best mates as well. I know that I wouldn’t be doing the kind of things I am doing now if I didn’t have that support of friendship around me. To me, FIGHTING FEAR is a film that anybody of any age or any walk of life could respond to, as friendship is such a universal thing. Also there is a definite feeling of celebrating life through good, healthy pursuits and putting aside negative and abusive ones – namely the subject of alcohol and alcohol abuse. I thought it had a really positive message."
Filmed over 3 years FIGHTING FEAR follows the real-life trials & tribulations of two best friends from Maroubra, namely Mark Mathews, Big Wave Pro Surfer & Richie “Vas” Vaculik, MMA fighter. Featuring entertaining & insightful interviews from some of the world’s most influential action sports athletes, including ten-time World Surfing Champion Kelly Slater, two- time World Surfing Champion Mick Fanning, Big Wave Surfer Bruce Irons, four-time Women’s World Surfing Champion Steph Gilmore & two-time UFC World Champion BJ Penn FIGHTING FEAR is heart-stopping entertainment.
FIGHTING FEAR is a classic against all odds tale of redemption, a rip-roaring action-packed documentary that tells the extraordinary, yet true story of two best friends and their real-life struggles as they chase their dreams of becoming professional sports people. It is surprisingly emotional, powerfully uplifting & utterly compelling.
FIGHTING FEAR is produced by Sue Masters, Michael Lawrence & distributed in Australia & NZ by Garage Entertainment.
International Sales Agent for FIGHTING FEAR is Odin's Eye Entertainment.
FIGHTING FEAR will screen in over 45 Hoyts, Greater Union, Village & BCC cinemas & selected independents nationally from NOV 10 2011.