By Travis Johnson
Production has begun on Wayne, a documentary on the life and career of champion motorcyclist Wayne Gardner, under the direction of Last Cab to Darwin helmer, Jeremy Sims.
According to the release, Wayne “…tells the improbable, triumphant true story of 1987 World Motorcycle Champion Wayne Gardner’s rise, despite the doubters and in the face of adversity, to become one of the most iconic motorcycle racers of all time.
Raised in workingman’s Australia with a good-sized chip on his shoulder, Wayne follows Gardener’s struggles to harness his rage for racetrack glory and conquer the demons that threatened to stop him in his tracks. Wayne will take viewers on a high-speed journey into the worlds most dynamic and visually arresting sport, Grand Prix motorcycle racing – revealing the loves, lives, personalities and passion of one of the worlds last great gladiatorial sports.”
There’s certainly a bit of mythologising going on there, but the film should be in good hands with Sims, who regards the film as a passion project. “I love the feature doc format and I am excited to be bringing the thrilling and complex story of Wayne Garder’s incredible journey to cinema goers. It is a tale of speed, danger, love, adversity, dogged willpower and, eventually, triumph, all set in the heady days of Australia’s ‘coming of age’ in the late ’80s. I was there, and I’m aiming to take our audience there too…”
Production duties are being handled by Matthew Metcalfe of General Film Corporation and Fraser Brown of FB Pictures, with significant investment from Screen Australia and The New Zealand Film Commission in association with Henla Investments and White Comet Films. Transmission Films has Australian distribution rights.
