Documentary Australia Foundation

Next submission deadline is
Friday, 11th May 2012

A FIGHTING CHANCE

A FIGHTING CHANCE
Country
Australia
Year
2007
Director
Mark Andersson
Producer
Tom Zubrycki & Katrina Lucas
Finance
Australian Film Commission
South Australian Film Corporation
SBS
Budget
AUD 125,000
Length
30 minutes
Website
www.budaya.com.au/Budaya_Productions_a_fighting_chance

Synopsis

Nermin Sabanovic is a strong willed man. At 42 years of age, his main goal in life is to win a world boxing title. Now that he holds the OPBF Title and the Australian Title, Bosnian-born Nermin believes he can beat the odds to go on to represent Australia and claim a world championship.

Nermin's wife Indira refuses to watch his fights, and his eldest daughter Tea believes her father's age makes boxing far too risky. Both of them constantly worry about injury or worse. They want Nermin to focus on his work as a project officer with the Aboriginal Sobriety Group (ASG). In nine years patrolling the streets of Adelaide to ensure the safety of Indigenous people, Nermin has come to consider himself as much Aboriginal as he is Bosnian-Australian. For Nermin's family he is already a hero, a survivor, a pillar of strength and a well-respected leader in the Bosnian community in Adelaide. So what does Nermin have to prove?

Impact

The film screened on SBS television in January 2008. It received a very positive response from people of all ages and backgrounds who have been inspired by Nermin and his story. As a man forced to flee his homeland to start a new life in Australia, now assisting Indigenous people as well as fighting for his own dreams against all odds, Nermin is really a great role model for us all. (distributor TBA)