Puskás in Australia — 5 photos from our film and one EOFY ask

Here is some Good one, Wilson filmmaking advice.

Don’t make films without securing the funding first!

Our three person production team, Sepia Tones, decided to follow up ‘The Galahs’ (Stan & DocPlay) with the 1989-92 story of one of the world’s greatest ever footballers coming to a Greek club in Melbourne to coach in the NSL. One of the glories of the digital age is you can just get cracking on making a film! We found and interviewed players who had been there for the Puskás era — Paul Trimboli, Miki Petersen, Con Boutsianis, Peter Tsolakis, Kimon Talidaoris and importantly (given his current career trajectory) Ange Postecoglou.

Ange in full flight, Shorrok Collection

We found and interviewed Puskás friend, host and landlord, Val Kopasz. We spoke to his biographer, Gyorgy Szolosi during a side trip to Hungary before the 2018 World Cup. We met Peter Kyrkylis who’d attended Puskás junior clinics in Keysborough. We met key members of the Hungarian football community like Alex Varga who coached and played alongside their hero in social outings at Parkmore SC in Melbourne’s south-east.

We sourced the photos, and the screeners from collections around the world. Copyright owners like ABC, SBS, FIFA and British Pathe don’t make you pay for licences up front, so our expenses, other than time, were still small. We built the film, section by section. They include:

1. Who was Puskás?

2. 1956 Uprising and Exile

3. Ethnic clubs and the NSL

4. Greek immigration and South Melbourne Hellas

5. Why did Puskás come to Australia?

6. How did he get to Hellas?

7. What was he like as a coach?

8. The glory of 1991

9. Puskás and Ange

10. Leaving and legacy

I said it in an earlier post, but we’re massively proud of the finished product. Unfortunately, we misjudged just how expensive the licences would end up being (‘The Galahs’ had fewer archival clips) and so we’ve hit a financial wall. We continue to crowdfund, and to search for interested parties who might like to be an executive producer and have name planted gloriously at the front of the film, as well as special status at any festival screenings.

Any person who might be our saviour in this regard is of course welcome to see our finished cut. (Email me for a confidential link)

‘Puskás in Australia’ can’t be shown in theatres, on TV, or sold to streaming services without copyright clearances.

All money raised through crowdfunding is allocated to the film’s expenses, which don’t include wages for the filmmakers. We have and will continue to work without payment on this. If the film eventually sells to steamers, we hope our production company makes some money, and that would flow to us. (it’s a Maybe-Break-Even-Slow Scheme — I should write a business book!)

If you’re a paid subscriber here at Good one Wilson, please don’t feel any pressure to donate to the film as well. Your contributions here fund my writing and creative career.

Best wishes

Tony

Five photos from the film (or the era)

Middle Park 1991, provided Nick Mitropoulos

Miki Petersen and Ferenc Puskas, Neos Kosmos newspaper

A Puskas mural in Budapest near the hotel where we stayed in 2018. 6:3 is a famous scoreline in Hungary and in Puskas lore because of a 6:3 thrashing Hungary delivered to England at Wembley in 1953.

Pre game Middle Park, festive Greek costumes, Dardalis Collection, La Trobe University

Puskas with 1991 championship team members, Dardalis Collection