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The movie Paper Planes has now brought in more than eight million dollars
at the Australian box office, making it the most popular Australian family
film since Red Dog.
Nobody is more tickled by the film’s success than Australian Story producer Ben Cheshire.
“Wow, that was a great story; someone should turn that into a movie!”
The producers of Australian Story have heard that comment countless times, with more than 700
programs broadcast since 1996, covering almost every imaginable drama from politics to crime and
personal transformation.
But while many books and articles have resulted from episodes of the program, none have actually
been made into a feature film – until now.
So imagine my delight when I heard that a quirky, almost humorous episode of Australian Story I
produced in 2009 was the inspiration for the new Australian film Paper Planes.
I’d made the program, about two uni students who’d competed in the World Paper Plane
Championships in Austria, partly with the idea of countering Australian Story’s image as being a bit
serious – sometimes a bit depressing.
Dylan Parker, the leading character in the program, had a whacky sense of humour and an
infectious enthusiasm for all things silly.
As it turned out, film director Robert Connolly saw the Australian Story and by coincidence, was
looking for an idea to build a children’s film around.
He arranged to meet Dylan Parker and his fellow paper pilot James Norton and was inspired to
make a film about a paper plane competition.
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Six years later, his film Paper Planes is proving to be more successful than he ever imagined.
Connolly directed some terrific films such as Balibo and The Bank, but Paper Planes is bringing in
three or four times more audience than his earlier efforts.
“I can’t really believe, after 18 years of
making films, that what began as a very
small film for my children has now
become quite clearly the most
commercial film I’ve made,” he says.
“It began as a kid’s film in the school
holidays and then the distributor
realised the audience was bigger.”
As well as being number one at the
Australian box office at various times
since its release in January, the film has
earned more locally than the Oscar
nominated Birdman and the Angelina
Jolie project Unbroken.
But for me, there’s a more personal reason to feel chuffed about the movie’s success.
Having recently completed my 99th episode of Australian Story, I was looking for something special
to mark my 100th episode of the program.
And that’s when I heard about the movie Paper Planes. It was almost a case of ‘ask the universe –
and sometimes, the universe provides.’
So my 100th program tonight will tell the story behind the
Paper Planes film, through the eyes of Dylan Parker, James
Norton and Robert Connolly.
It will be introduced by the star of the film, 12 year old
actor Ed Oxenbould.
And I will be at home marvelling at how, of all those
wonderful Australian Story programs broadcast over the
last 19 years, this little one was chosen to have another
life on big screens around the world.
Paper Planes will be released in the US and UK later this
year.
Australian Story screens tonight at 8pm on ABC.