'Bra Boys' Hits US Theaters

Apr 13 2008 / Los Angeles, CA
Last year the documentary "Bra Boys" hit the big screen in Australia and smashed records. The story of the notorious surf "tribe" from Maroubra Beach is compelling on its own, but throw in the additional drama of the Abberton clan (one of the Abberton brothers, Sunny, directs the film) and suddenly you have a gritty tale of how one family fights to rise above its circumstances. At the heart of the story is Koby Abberton, the charismatic, talented big wave surfer who was thrown in jail after being accused of interfering with the murder trial of his brother, Jai.

For the surf fan, there's plenty of that to go around. Excellent footage of Koby and his brothers, along with others from the Boys, hitting some of Australia's best spots. But just as interesting is the historical background of the region and how close this group of 100+ men really are.
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 PHOTO GALLERY

 

 Check out a gallery from the movie's Hollywood premiere.

See a gallery of the Hollywood premiere >

After the film's success, Sal Masakela and Jason Bergh, the men behind Berkela Films ("Disposable Hero: The Brian Deegan Story"), sought to secure the rights for the film's US release. Thanks to a visit to Maroubra Beach and after gaining the approval from the Bra Boys (the entire group), Berkela had the rights in hand and worked tirelessly to get the film ready for a theatrical release in the US, culminating in the film's release today (April 11) in New York, Los Angeles, San Diego and Hawaii.

Action sports documentaries have a spotty record at the box office but surf films like "Endless Summer" and "Step into Liquid" tend to be the most popular and "Bra Boys" does appear to have an advantage thanks to some level of star power. After all, Russell Crowe narrates the film and is currently signed to direct a scripted version of the story that could hit theaters in 2009. The film's premiere on April 7 at the DGA Theater in Hollywood drew a who's who of young stars like "Entourage's" Adrien Grenier, Nikki Hilton, Milo Ventimiglia and Samarie Armstrong, as well as heavyweight producer Brain Grazer, whose Imagine Entertainment is producing the scripted version of the film.

Do yourself a favor -- catch the film on the big screen if you can!