Image: Coming up golden in the canola fields of Ganmain outside Wagga Wagga. The Merger’s director, Mark Grentell, DOP Tony Luu, and producer, Anne Robinson.
Every so often there’s a sweet smell attached to a little Australian film. This year that film is The Merger, a warmhearted rural comedy about an ailing footy club and the refugees who help to revive it. The director is Mark Grentell, the 38-year-old Wagga Wagga boy whose first film was the surprise hit Backyard Ashes which he made independently in 2013 with $250,000 raised by offering $1 shares to local businesses and individuals. A similar story of confidence, persistence and country resourcefulness lies behind The Merger.
