The Hopes and Dreams of Gazza Snell

Directed by:Brendan Donovan
Written by: Brendan Donovan and David Brechin-Smith

Meet Gazza Snell: entrepreneur, kart club president, and Man About Howick. His obsession with his teen boys’ karting careers has alienated his wife and pushed his family to the financial brink. And yet he smiles through it all, equal parts Charmer, Great Dad, and Frustrating Bastard. You probably know a guy just like him…

The Hopes & Dream of Gazza Snell is a coming of age drama with a difference: it’s the father who does the growing up.

The film centers around go-karting, a sport Gazza and his teenage sons are obsessed with, much to the chagrin of Gail, the long-suffering wife and mother who must watch her sons risk life and limb on the track every weekend. It’s no surprise she seeks companionship from a neighbor.

Just when Gazza thinks he has everything sorted – a deal for his older son with a big Italian racing team and a job from a wealthy Chinese businessman – an accident at the track throws everything into turmoil. Gazza’s priorities have to change or he might lose everything.

The karting brothers in the movie are played by real life siblings, giving an authenticity to the performances. And while Gazza himself is played by an Aussie, you’d never know he wasn’t Howick born and bred.