After a sell-out festival season, the independent film Ange & The Boss – Puskás In Australia has a national theatrical release. Directed, produced, and now distributed by Melbourne filmmakers Tony Wilson and Cam Fink, this sports documentary tells the little-known story of Hungarian legend Ferenc Puskás coaching in Melbourne towards the end of his football life.
Comedically overweight and barely able to speak English, Puskás coached the South Melbourne
Hellas to a dramatic 1991 NSL Championship win. Eating and laughing along the way. Ange Postecoglou was the captain of the team. Now managing Tottenham in the English Premier League, is now Australia’s greatest-ever coaching export. Ange’s love for Puskás shines in the stories from the relationship they shared on the pitch, in the clubrooms, and in his trusty Datsun 200B.
Other players including Paul Trimboli, Miki Petersen, and Kimon Taliadoris recount this treasured chapter of their lives with cheeky reverence. Their stories sparkle onscreen. Combined with extensive archival footage, the film is a beautiful snapshot of an important era in Melbourne’s history.
Who was Ferenc Puskás?
In the 1950s and 60s, Puskás was an international superstar. Playing for Real Madrid he won La Liga five times in a row. He was the top goal scorer in the league four times. Playing for Hungary, he scored 84 goals in 85 games. Hungary was rated the world’s greatest team. His face is everywhere in Budapest, and the Hungarian national stadium is named after him. He’s fifth on the all-time goal-scoring list. FIFA has named the award for the best goal in the world the Puskás Award. Ange Postecoglou says in the film, ‘Ask one hundred journalists to name the top ten players of the last century and 90% will have him in.’ Yet this international star remains relatively unknown in Australia.
What is the film about?
Between 1988 and 1982, this global phenomenon lived behind a garden supply in the Melbourne suburb of Ashwood, with little fanfare or publicity. The film charts his career triumphs and Australian journey, where his big belly and warm heart inspired the South Melbourne Hellas to a famous championship win. Beyond the football field, the film captures the migrant history of Australia’s National Soccer
League. With up to ten ethnicities competing as football clubs, the league was unique worldwide.
For recent arrivals from places like Greece, Italy, and the Balkans, those clubs became sanctuaries
for immigrants, places where they found a sense of community and belonging.
The film tells the human side of the NSL and community, appealing to football lovers and non-football lovers alike.
Funny talking points
• Post-match at the Marconi club, Puskás ate an entire communal platter of pasta himself. His belly was comically large. Ange Postecoglou got a flat tyre driving
• Puskás to the airport in his Datsun 200B. As he struggled with the jack and spare tyre, Puskás didn’t even get out of the car.
• His English was endearingly simple. “Don’t make it any nervous. Don’t need it”
Who are we?
We are Tony Wilson and Cam Fink. This is our second feature documentary. Our first, The Galahs
(2016) is on Stan and DocPlay and is about a VFL/ AFL tour of Ireland in 1967. Tony is an author
of more than twenty books and a regular on Melbourne radio and TV. Cam is a media natural
who produces content and events across a variety of sectors.
We’re both comfortable in front of a camera or microphone, and will deliver a great, funny,
informative segment.
A festival smash
Initially scheduled for two screenings at the Australian Greek Film Festival, that expanded to a maximum of eight. A thousand people attended the premiere at Melbourne’s iconic Astor Theatre. Six of the eight screenings were sellouts. Ange & The Boss has now been selected for festivals
worldwide and was a finalist for Best Football Film at the Paladino d’Oro International Sports Film
Festival in Italy which the filmmakers attended. It will play in Kolkata in February and Hungary in
April.
Be part of something special
We’ve reached this point almost entirely by ourselves. That part of the story is interesting too! We edited the film by Zoom during lockdown, with Cam in NZ and Tony in Oz. We’ve directed, shot, sound recorded, edited, produced, publicised, and distributed Ange & The Boss by ourselves. It’s a true microbudget story and a great filmmaking story.
We’re so close to having a hit cinema run. The independent cinemas are on board! If the audiences come, we can make this the independent documentary hit of the year. We can make our appearances entertaining, and you can fill our screenings.
A national Q&A tour
On the weekend of 24–25 March, Ange & The Boss will screen in Palace cinemas in every state of Australia.
In addition, we have a four-state Q&A tour booked.
Q&A Sessions
13 March Pentridge Coburg
14 March Nova Carlton
15 March Classic Elsternwick
16 March Westgarth
16 March Lido Hawthorn
17 March Norton Street Leichardt
17 March Ritz Randwick
22 March Cameo Belgrave
23 March Pivotonian Geelong
23 March Thornbury Picture House
25 March Thornbury Picture House
29 March The Picadilly
Palace Cinemas 24–25 March
Pennylane Moonee Ponds
Brighton Church Street
Balwyn
James Street Fortitude Valley Brisbane
Electric Canberra
Raine Square Perth
Nova Prospect Adelaide
