Syn Entertainment doc tells the story of Japan’s victory over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup

Temuera Morrison (2) stars as Eddie Jones in The Brighton Miracle. Photo Credit The Brighton Miracle

Blue Sky Media has acquired the world rights to The Brighton Miracle, a documentary on Japan’s victory over South Africa at the 2015 Rugby World Cup.

Produced by Syn Entertainment via producer representative Summer & Co, the 82-minute feature documentary was directed by Max Mannix and features original music from Duran Duran singer Simon Le Bon. It tells the story of how Japan, the team with the worst record in Rugby World Cup history at the time, unexpectedly defeated South Africa, the two-time World champions, at the 2015 Rugby World Cup in Brighton.

The storyline follows Eddie Jones, played in re-enactments by New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison (The Book of Boba Fett), the Australian-Japanese coach selected to train the Japanese rugby team despite huge doubts from the team. The film follows Jones’ plans to defy convention in order to put a stop to Japan being the laughingstock of world rugby, and his relentless techniques that push everybody to the brink of despair, including staff, assistant coaches and team manager, JR, played by Masa Yamaguchi (The Condemned).

The reenactments are blended with talking-head interviews with Eddie Jones and the players.

Lasarus Ratuere as Michael Leitch. Photo Credit The Brighton Miracle

The Brighton Miracle was released in Japan on 1 September, and Blue Sky Media is now selling it worldwide.

Richard Signeski, CEO of Blue Sky Media, said: “It’s safe to say the world was shocked when Japan, the underdog of Rugby, defeated South Africa in 2015 – but not many people know the story behind how the team were able to accomplish such a feat. Having only previously been distributed in Japan, it’s our privilege to bring this film to global audiences right in time for this year’s Rugby World Cup.”

Nick Wood, producer and founder of Syn Entertainment, added: “I have always loved the creative bond between filmmaking and music, it’s like two good friends climbing Mount Fuji together; it can be a nightmare on the way up, but an incredible reward for all your hard work when you see the sunrise.  I feel very fortunate that Syn Entertainment was able to contribute to this film, both as a producer - with Max Mannix, Tim Farmer, Milissa Douponce and Adam Ballin - and as composer of the score, along with my creative partner Simon Le Bon, who wrote an original song for the film. Many thanks to Richard and the Blue Sky team for bringing the Brighton Miracle to the world, in time for the Rugby World Cup 2023 in France.”