"RULES OF THE GAME" Premieres May 31, 2009, on the PBS WORLD Series "Global Voices"

Documentary Offers Look Into the Corrupt and Violent Election System in Papua New Guinea During the 2007 Governor Election

SAN FRANCISCO, CA -- (Marketwire) -- 05/19/09 -- In "RULES OF THE GAME," Australian filmmaker Thom Cooke follows the 2007 Papua New Guinea election, focusing on three of the candidates vying to become governor in a system often plagued with political corruption and violence. The film will premiere on May 31, 2009, on "Global Voices" on PBS WORLD.

The breathtaking and remote Pacific nation of Papua New Guinea is one of the last regions to join modern democratic society. More than 800 indigenous languages are spoken within this country of just 6 million people. For thousands of years, a complicated tribal society ruled each community based on physicality, courage or oratory. The political strength of a leader or tribe was demonstrated on the battlefield. Today, instead of dressing in traditional tribal costume for a fight, people march the streets, bringing the nation to a standstill as they promote their candidate.

The 2002 elections were the most violent and chaotic in Papua New Guinea history. Some people voted multiple times; others were prevented from casting a ballot by members of their own tribe, an illegal system in which tribal leaders have already decided on their favored candidate. In some regions of the East Highlands, no result could be declared -- some of the ballot boxes were burned or otherwise destroyed and many people were killed. This left many to wonder how the nation would handle the 2007 elections and move from communal consensus to the concept of "one person, one vote."

Eastern Highlands Governor and owner of Pacific Helicopters - Malcolm Smith Kela

"RULES OF THE GAME" focuses on three colorful characters who were among the 37 candidates running for governor. Running for reelection was Malcolm Smith Kela, a native Australian and self-made millionaire who has adopted Papua New Guinea as his new home and spent the last year trying to clean up the region's law enforcement.

Jon Yogiyo is a coffee grower who wants to export his product and create more opportunities for the people of the nation. A native to the province, his campaign slogan was simple: "Grow coffee and you will become rich." The only woman in the race was Julie Soso, a grass-roots candidate who believes that after years of ineffective government led by both black and white men, the time has come for a woman to step up.

Following the candidates as they take their message to the people by any means necessary, "RULES OF THE GAME" reveals that the nominees are willing to do whatever it takes to get the vote, be it bribery, tribal agreements, even campaigning at a funeral.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

John Lewis (producer) has produced and directed many films and programs for Australian screen and television, including the award-winning film "The Good Looker," the award-winning series "Rainbow Bird and Monster Man," the long-running art series "Eye to Eye with Betty Churcher" and "Take 5 with Betty Churcher," and "Order in the House," a weekly one-hour analysis of Australia's Parliament that ran for 13 years.

Since 2004, Arcimedia -- an award-winning factual and new-media production company headed by Lewis and Claire Jager -- has produced "Testing Taklo"; "Troubled Minds -- The Lithium Revolution"; the six-part interactive docudrama for children "A Stowaway's Guide to the Pacific"; and "Penicillin: The Magic Bullet."

Thom Cooke (director) is a multi-award-winning journalist and filmmaker based in Melbourne, Australia. He has previously worked for the BBC, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and the Fairfax newspaper group. Since 2002, he has been with the SBS TV (a national public television organization in Australia) "Dateline" program, Australia's longest-running international current affairs program.

In 2002, he won a Walkley Award, the highest prize in Australian journalism, for his coverage of the chaotic 2002 Papua New Guinea elections, during which more than 60 people died. He has continued to cover Melanesia and the South Pacific for "Dateline," interviewing many of the region's main political figures.

In the past year alone, he has been evacuated from Somalia, covered the Israeli incursions into Gaza and Lebanon, followed Iraqi police through their eight-week training course, investigated the renaissance of the U.S. nuclear weapons program, and reported on illegal migration from West Africa to Europe, among other stories.

Like all "Dateline" journalists, Cooke is a solo operator, both filming and reporting long-form stories from remote and at times hostile locations. In January, CNN launched its new documentary program "World's Untold Stories" with Cooke's film, "A Very Thin Blue Line," dealing with the training of new Iraqi policemen despite staggering casualty rates.

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