Bootmen

Dein Perry's film directorial debut is a story inspired by the story of his own rise from steelworking in industrial Newcastle, Australia to become a renowned dancer, director and choreographer of the shows TAP DOGS and STEEL CITY. Sean Okden (Adam Garcia) is a dissatisfied young steelworker and rebellious, gifted tap dancer that gets a chance to escape his dead-end job by landing a spot in a big Sydney dance show. Sean's brother, Mitch (Sam Worthington), is also a talented dancer but aspires to start a trucking company - a dream that the young men's tough, lonely father Gary (Richard Carter) has an easier time accepting. The brothers' close relationship is tested when both fall for the beautiful Linda (Sophie Lee), and when Mitch's sideline habit of stealing cars causes trouble with local thugs. Sean's hotheaded ways get him kicked out of the Sydney show, but when he returns to Newcastle, he rallies some fellow blue-collar tap school graduates to create a new, cutting-edge dance show. Despite the town's ridicule and his heartbreak over Linda, Sean fights to follow his dream. Perry's film features a cast of talented dancers executing raw, high-energy tap sequences in their steel-plated boots, and a breakout dramatic performance by Garcia.