DIRECTORS

Joanna Lester is a journalist and documentary film-maker whose work focuses on the bigger picture impact of sport. She has reported for global media organisations including the BBC and Associated Press and has worked at Olympic and Commonwealth Games, world cups, and other major sporting events across four continents. She has covered rugby league throughout the world, from its birthplace in England to its pinnacle of popularity in Papua New Guinea, via countries where most people don’t even realise the sport is played. Her current work focuses on how sport can change lives and improve societies, and how women’s involvement in sport contributes to gender equality, particularly in the Pacific. Power Meri marks her entry into long-form documentary storytelling, building on her unparalleled and intimate access to the film’s characters and her longstanding relationships in rugby league and Papua New Guinea.