2 Part Doco Folau Premieres Monday 21 November on ABC TV

Update 17 November: ABC TV have removed Folau from it’s Monday slot saying “We are still working on the Folau documentary and clearing footage which has meant pushing it back in our schedule. A new transmission date will be announced shortly.”

Two-part documentary Folau premieres on ABC TV and ABC iview on Monday, November 21.

This eagerly awaited documentary will take viewers inside the clash of culture, faith, and football over the course of two back-to-back Monday nights.

Folau tells the tale of Israel Folau, one of Australia’s most talented and divisive athletes, and how a social media post put him in the middle of our culture wars and ended careers. For the first time, Israel Folau’s life is examined in all of its multifaceted complexity. Important Pasifika voices are featured, and the book examines the relationship between freedom of speech and religion as well as the LGBTQIA+ community’s right to equality in the workplace.

Part 1, Monday, 21 November, 8.45pm, traces Israel Folau’s upbringing in the devout Christian traditions of the Pasifika community, whose other ‘religion’ is rugby. It follows his meteoric and record setting rise through three football codes, culminating in 73 appearances for the Wallabies. While initially grappling with the pitfalls of fame and fortune, when his father Eni experiences a major health scare, Folau re-evaluates his choices, setting him on a path that will alter the course of his career and life forever.

Part 2: Monday, 28 November, 8.45pm Folau posts an internet meme that rocks the nation and sees him sacked by Rugby Australia. With insider accounts, this episode unpicks what happens in the hours, days and weeks that follow and shows the impact it had on the Pasifika community – straight and queer. As he fights his former employer in the courts of justice and public opinion, he finds an ally in the Australian Christian Lobby, becoming a voice in Australia’s political cycle, galvanising forces debating the impact of a proposed religious discrimination bill.

The documentary will be followed by the premiere of A League of Her Own and  presented as a special blue-chip Sports collection on ABC iview alongside encore screenings of RIDE, Freeman, The Australian Dream, Capturing Cricket: Steve Waugh in India, and Brock: Over The Top.

2 x 60 mins. An In Films Production. Principal production investment from Screen Australia and developed with support from Screen NSW. ABC Commissioning Editor: Jo Chichester. ABC Head, Screen Sport & Events: Kath Earle. Director: Nel Minchin. Executive Producer: Ivan O’Mahoney.