Fair Game

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'It’s very easy to be labelled an angry black man.'

Heritier Lumumba, formerly known as Harry O’Brien, was in the middle of his best season of AFL football when his club president, Eddie McGuire, made an arguably racist comment on-air about an Indigenous player. As a man of colour and a strong supporter of equality, Lumumba chose to speak out against his high-profile boss. What followed was a media storm and an on-air showdown with McGuire which painted Lumumba as an overly PC, hyper-sensitive villain.

Directed by controversial filmmaker Jeff Daniels, Fair Game recounts how Lumumba’s journey to understand his identity as a black man led him to challenge racism and prejudice in sport. Born to a Brazilian mother and Congolese father, Heritier was the poster boy for diversity in the AFL. He served as the AFL’s first Multicultural Ambassador, was appointed a People of Australia Ambassador, spoke at a UN conference on Global Health and was even invited to personally meet with the Dalai Lama.

Joining Collingwood in 2004, Lumumba soon established himself as a footballing force to be reckoned with. He achieved the AFL’s coveted All-Australian status and kicked a goal to clinch his club’s first Grand Final win in twenty years. But after the tragic suicide of his stepfather, the resignation of his mentor and legendary coach, Mick Malthouse, and a falling out with new coach Nathan Buckley, Lumumba began to question who he was, and who he wanted to be.

Through exclusive access to Lumumba, his friends and family, AFL legends Mick Malthouse, former Collingwood Capitan Nick Maxwell and sports journalists, Fair Game uncovers the personal and professional journey of a man who, at the top of his game, dared to hold a mirror to a nation that didn’t like what it saw.

ATOM has also produced a study guide for Fair Game. This study guide is available for download here.

Classification: G

Running time: 54 min