A warm and cheeky
comedy about refugees
and country Australia
103 minutes
The Merger (2018)
A country football coach who has a plan to rebuild the local football team by recruiting recently settled asylum seekers.
A hilarious and heartfelt comedy
With The Castle-esque Aussie humour, The Merger takes a lighthearted look at a serious issue. Bodgy Creek is a town in decline, and their cash-strapped Aussie Rules footy club is about to fold. That is, until they recruit some local refugees. Can the characters of Bodgy Creek overcome their differences, and win more than a game?
Tackling divisiveness with larrikin warmth
The Merger is based on comedian Damian Callinan's critically acclaimed solo show of the same name, which has been toured around Australia to major comedy festivals and tiny country towns alike. Feedback from audiences and critics has been united: this story makes a politically divisive issue feel funny, human and accessible, sparking conversations with real empathy.
A message of Aussie identity and acceptance
The Merger kicks goals using big laughs and backyard charm, which wrap around its message of inclusivity. Amnesty International has applauded the movie for communicating “complex issues in a simple and funny way” and described it as the “perfect message of hope and achievable community action”.
A country football coach who has a plan to rebuild the local football team by recruiting recently settled asylum seekers.
A hilarious and heartfelt comedy
With The Castle-esque Aussie humour, The Merger takes a lighthearted look at a serious issue. Bodgy Creek is a town in decline, and their cash-strapped Aussie Rules footy club is about to fold. That is, until they recruit some local refugees. Can the characters of Bodgy Creek overcome their differences, and win more than a game?
Tackling divisiveness with larrikin warmth
The Merger is based on comedian Damian Callinan's critically acclaimed solo show of the same name, which has been toured around Australia to major comedy festivals and tiny country towns alike. Feedback from audiences and critics has been united: this story makes a politically divisive issue feel funny, human and accessible, sparking conversations with real empathy.
A message of Aussie identity and acceptance
The Merger kicks goals using big laughs and backyard charm, which wrap around its message of inclusivity. Amnesty International has applauded the movie for communicating “complex issues in a simple and funny way” and described it as the “perfect message of hope and achievable community action”.
How has The Merger impacted you?
What the critics say
Happily walking the same Aussie-as-Aussie-can-be territory as The Castle, The Merger is busting with great gags and loveable characters, and its messages about tolerance and the value of mateship are timely and well placed.
Erin Free
Filmink
It’s the perfect message of hope and achievable community action that those fighting for refugee rights need. It also has the ability to change the minds of those who are on the fence when it comes to refugee rights.
Kathleen Herbert
Amnesty International, Refugee Activist Organiser
If this were a wine, I'd say it had roots in the flavours of The Castle, with a hint of the character Kevin Harrington played in Australian Rules 15 years ago.
Paul Byrnes
Sydney Morning Herald
The Merger uses the tropes of the sports film to explore – in an entertaining and thus palatable way – contemporary attitudes towards refugees in Australia.
Craig Batty
The Conversation
Happily walking the same Aussie-as-Aussie-can-be territory as The Castle, The Merger is busting with great gags and loveable characters, and its messages about tolerance and the value of mateship are timely and well placed.
Erin Free
Filmink
It’s the perfect message of hope and achievable community action that those fighting for refugee rights need. It also has the ability to change the minds of those who are on the fence when it comes to refugee rights.
Kathleen Herbert
Amnesty International, Refugee Activist Organiser
Meet the Filmmakers
Damian Callinan
Writer
Mark Grentell
Director
Anne Robinson
Producer
Damian Callinan
Writer
Damian Callinan is an acclaimed comedian, actor & writer. He has been nominated three times for Most Outstanding Show at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, and audiences may recognise him for his roles in Skithouse, Spicks & Specks, Rosehaven, Backyard Ashes & The Merger, the beloved film adaption of his award-winning solo show of the same name. Callinan’s prolific output of theatrical live shows including The Lost WW1 Diary, Swing Man, Mayor for a Day & The Wine Bluffs, has seen him forge a reputation as “one of the best character comedians in the country” (Herald Sun).
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