MOVIE PREMIERE: Tall Poppy — a skater’s story

MOVIE PREMIERE: Poppy Starr Olsen, 21, has just been confirmed to be the first and only female park skateboarder to represent Australia in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. For the past 6 years film director Justine Moyle has followed Poppy on her journey towards the Olympics.

We touch base with Poppy and chat to director Justine about her motivation to tell this coming of age story through a skateboarder’s journey. Tall Poppy hits the big screens across Australia from 27 June.

Hi Poppy, first of all, congrats on qualifying! And thanks for fitting in a quick chat about “Tall Poppy: a skater’s story”.

Anytime.

Who should go see the movie and why?

Shoot this is a hard one! I’d like to think that there will be a bunch of different people going. Just anyone who likes the look of the film really! I’m hoping that the docu might resonate with younger queer folks too. Knowing that they’re not alone, and you are so loved.

What do you think skateboarders & non-skateboarders can take away from this movie?

I hope that anyone can take away from the film that most of the time I have no idea what’s going on or what’s going to happen, haha! Life is such a crazy journey and it’s ok to live in the present and not really know where that will take you. Whether it’s with skating or any other aspect. One of the most important things for me is just finding people and friend groups that are going to love and support every part of you! I’m very lucky in that department.

There are a lot of young skateboarders who look up to you and dream about going to the Olympics. What is your best advice to them?

My advice would be to go for whatever you’re dreaming of becoming but to also enjoy every part of that journey. Hard work, kindness and lots of fun can get you exactly where you want to be!

Thank you so much, Poppy. You’re a legend and we can’t wait to see the movie.

“My advice would be to go for whatever you’re dreaming of becoming but to also enjoy every part of that journey. Hard work, kindness and lots of fun can get you exactly where you want to be!”

— Poppy Starr Olsen

Okay, let’s turn to you Justine. Congrats on the documentary. It’s not every day skateboarding hits the big screens!

Thanks, yeah, it’s very exciting.

Tall Poppy - tell us about the title…

Yeah, Tall Poppy Syndrome is where we kind of downplay our own success. Poppy will say something like “I'm doing okay” and then tell you how awesome someone else is. And that's a very Australian thing. She’s like that, pretty modest about her own success.

Actually, I had a few different suggestions, like “skatergirl”, haha. I was like NO! I didn't want to gender it too much, because she is first and foremost a great skater, a bright and interesting character.

For sure! How did you and Poppy meet?

I first met Poppy 6 years ago down at the bowl. I was so impressed with what she was doing at such a young age. She wasn’t self-aware in the way I was at that age. She looked completely confident among all the guys at the skatepark. She was one of the only girls at the time and they were all twice her age or older. It wasn’t because she was overly competent, she just did it and she loved it without being concerned with the things that most girls her age would be concerned about. I was just like “she's awesome”.

And then, how did you go from there to getting the idea for the documentary?

Initially it wasn’t really the Olympics that was interesting for me. I was wondering… “What does it do to these humans who learn how to fall all the time and just get back up and do it again. And again?” The original idea was to make a short film about that.

But then I happened to be in the states for filming a comp that Poppy ended up winning. I felt there was a bigger story that could be told, but I just didn’t know what it was. Then the Olympics started to get mentioned in the background - and that gave me a bigger story to build the story around. And not least, an option to start applying for funding for the project.

Skateboarding and Olympics was a pretty strange combination and it kind of went from there and then it's been a long labour of love ever since.

Poppy Starr Olsen at Bowlzilla 2021. Photo: Mark Fullon

The film is about her journey towards the Olympics. But it’s so much more isn’t it? What’s the story you want to tell?

I don’t know if you’ve seen her at comps but she has got such a welcoming attitude. She’s caring and someone who makes others feel good about themselves. And then there’s the competitive side - where she is in it to win, it’s about goals.

The film is about how she finds her way while still being true to herself. It's like remembering why you do something in the first place and find out what really drives you. What other people think is good for you, isn’t necessarily the truth. It's not that Poppy hasn't had the drive and ambition, but she doesn't do it for the sake of herself and the things that she values. So it's really also just reflecting that those two things can coexist.

And then there is having your mum as your manager and how to navigate that relationship, which adds another complexity to it all. We follow that mother-daughter relationship and how it develops and changes throughout the years. There's a fine line between encouragement and pressure. I think that's what the film shows and then it's up to everybody to make their own decision, but I think they've handled it really well. They're a super tight unit and they still are.

“The film is about how she finds her way while still being true to herself. ”

— Justine Moyle

It has been debated whether the Olympics would negatively affect the skateboarding culture and community… what is your take on that?

I'm not a part of the community, but from the outside I think it gives opportunities for women in a way that it's never done before. Women aren't used to seeing themselves in these places. I do also think it makes a difference actually seeing how kindness and compassion is a part of the skateboarding community alongside the more hardcore competitive side of it.

The Olympics also create opportunities for creatives with an interest in skateboarding. Poppy is an incredible artist. And she thought of her art before she started skateboarding. She actually started selling her art in order to fund her skateboarding trips. She would sell her art at the market online to go to competitions overseas. Art has continued to be part of Poppy’s journey. She's always had the art and the skateboarding as ways of expressing herself.

Just because you skateboard doesn't mean you have to go to the Olympics. You can choose to participate through filming or as a hobby. You don't have to be the person that's going after the 540 or whatever the next big trick is.

As a director, what do you hope we can take away from ‘Tall Poppy’?

I hope that skateboarders will learn that there’s not just not one way forward. Pursuing something like the Olympics is complex and everyone will find their own journey through it. For the younger girls who are coming up, the Olympics is real to them, they’ve got the eyes on the prize. For Poppy and the current Olympic skateboarders, it wasn’t even on the radar. The Olympics only became real to them far into their skateboarding journey which has made navigating that road even more complex.

Thanks so much for taking your time to chat! We can’t wait to see the movie, Justine. Best of luck with the premiere.

About Poppy Olsen

Poppy Starr Olsen, 21 has just been confirmed to be the first and only female park skateboarder to represent Australia in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics. Poppy is currently the number one female park skateboarder in Australia and sits as number 4 on the Olympic World skateboarding rankings.

For over 10 years Poppy has been a spokesperson for women in sport and skateboarding. A world champion in her age group in 2014 (over 14’s) and 2015 (over 15’s), she won the professional division of the Vans Combi Classic in 2016 and was the first Australian female to be invited to compete in the X-Games.

With respect and credit in the Australian skateboard community and internationally, as well as being supported by the Australian Institute of Sport, Poppy’s girl-next-door charm has seen her evolve into an ambassador for Australia, youth culture and some of the country’s biggest brands.

Poppy at Bryce's Skatepark in 2021. Photo: Jedidiah Woods

INFO & TICKETS

“Tall Poppy - a skater’s story” screens in cinemas across Australia from 27 June 2021.

Running Time: 89 mins

Film Website: www.tallpoppymovie.com

Special event: Simultaneous screening and Live “In Conversation with” with Poppy on Saturday 3 July 2021 at 3pm.

For Tickets go to: https://madmanfilms.com.au/tall-poppy/

Follow “Tall Poppy - a skater’s story” on Instagram: tall_poppy_movie

MORE ABOUT TALL POPPY

Production

The ‘TALL POPPY: A SKATER’S STORY’ documentary has been produced by Sydney-based production company, Candid Films Australia. The film was made possible with funding from Screen Australia and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The film is being distributed by Garage Entertainment and is directed by Justine Moyle.

Key crew

● Director - Justine Moyle

● Producer and Production Manager - Jo Austin

● Cinematography - Dane Howell

● Audio - Unison Sound (Wes Chew)

● Music - John Vella

● Grade - Matt Fezz

● Production Company - Candid Films Pty Ltd

Director Justine Moyle

Justine is an emerging director and the inaugural recipient of the Create NSW She Doc Fellowship Award which allowed her to spend six weeks working on the development of Tall Poppy with Lucy Walker (Crash Reel). Currently working on various corporate and creative projects in her hometown of Sydney, Justine’s passion is telling engaging & inspiring stories, from the extraordinary to the everyday.