One of the most exciting parts of building FENECH – The Jeff Fenech Story has been seeing truly world-class people connect with the material and want to become part of the journey. When a film starts attracting artists and collaborators of genuine calibre, you know something special is beginning to happen. That is why it is such a huge honour for us to officially welcome one of Australia’s leading casting directors, Anousha Zarkesh, to the team as she comes on board to cast the remainder of the film.

Anousha has been an incredibly supportive force behind FENECH, and having someone of her experience, taste, instinct and reputation helping shape the rest of this cast is an enormous step forward for the production. Casting is one of the most important creative pillars of any film, but on a story like FENECH it becomes even more critical. This is not just a sports film. It is a deeply emotional Australian story about identity, family, loyalty, struggle, resilience and one of our most iconic champions. To tell that story honestly, the film needs actors who can bring not only skill, but truth, complexity and humanity to every role. That is exactly what Anousha brings.

A AACTA Award and Casting Guild Award (CGA) winner, Anousha Zarkesh has been a casting director for more than 25 years, specialising in Australian television and film across an extraordinary range of genres. Her body of work speaks for itself. From political satire to raw drama, broad comedy to telemovies, documentary series and feature films, Anousha has built a remarkable reputation for identifying talent, elevating projects and bringing together ensembles that feel authentic, layered and unforgettable. She is one of those rare casting directors whose involvement instantly lifts the confidence around a production because people know the work will be done with intelligence, integrity and precision.

Her credits are among the strongest in the country. They include Firebite, Total Control, Rake, High Ground, Mystery Road, Sweet Country, Black Comedy, Operation Buffalo, Hounds of Love, Deep Water, Cleverman, The Principal, Peter Allen: Not the Boy Next Door, Redfern Now, Suburban Mayhem, Beautiful Kate, the Underbelly series, Mabo, Mary Bryant, and Jasper Jones, to name just some. These are productions that have helped define Australian screen culture over the last two decades. They are bold, acclaimed works that demanded strong creative judgement and a deep understanding of character, tone and audience. To have someone with that résumé step into FENECH is not just exciting — it is a major statement about the standard we are aiming for with this film.

Anousha also cast Thomas Wright’s acclaimed feature The Stranger, which screened in competition in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival in 2022, further underlining the international level at which she operates. That matters. We are making a film that is proudly Australian, but it also has the potential to travel well beyond our shores. Jeff Fenech’s story is universal in its themes and cinematic in its scale, and having an elite casting director who understands both Australian truth and international standard is invaluable as we continue to build the film.

What makes Anousha so important to a project like FENECH is not just her reputation or list of credits, but her understanding of people. Great casting is not simply about finding actors with profiles or putting recognisable faces on a poster. Great casting is about finding the right soul for the role. It is about chemistry, instinct, emotional intelligence and knowing how every individual performer contributes to the larger tapestry of the film. On a story like Jeff’s, where so many characters are based on real people and lived relationships, that work becomes even more delicate and essential. These are roles that need authenticity. They need weight. They need actors who can make an audience believe they are stepping into a real world with real stakes. Anousha knows how to do that better than almost anyone.

Her involvement also brings tremendous confidence to the next stage of the film’s evolution. We have already been fortunate to attract a fantastic wave of cast and crew to FENECH, and now Anousha is completing the casting process and helping us lock in the remaining roles that will round out this world. That includes some incredibly important supporting characters and the wider ensemble that will give the film its texture, grit and emotional richness. As any filmmaker knows, the supporting cast can be the difference between a good film and a great one. Those roles are where the world starts to breathe. Those performances are what make the lead journey feel lived-in, dangerous, funny, moving and real. Having Anousha at the helm of that process is a tremendous asset.

We have also been incredibly lucky to have Daisy Field join the team as Casting Assistant, working alongside Anousha as we move through this major phase of the production. Daisy will be helping manage the workload that comes with a film of this scale and will also be assisting with the extras casting process, which is such a vital part of bringing the world of FENECH to life. On a project like this, where there are so many moving parts and so many roles to fill with care and precision, having a strong, capable and committed support team around the casting department makes a huge difference. Daisy’s involvement only strengthens what is already shaping up to be an outstanding casting team.

We are also thrilled that Anousha’s company will be handling the hundreds of extras we will need for the film, which is no small task on a production of this scale. FENECH is a film that spans fight crowds, public events, streetscapes, gyms, arenas and key moments that require a strong sense of time, place and atmosphere. The extras in a film like this are not just background — they help create the energy of the world. They help build the pressure of the fight nights, the texture of the streets, the pulse of the community and the scale of the big cinematic moments. To have Anousha, Daisy and the wider casting team overseeing that side of the process gives us enormous confidence that the world of FENECH will feel as vivid and authentic as it needs to.

Beyond her many achievements, Anousha continues to contribute to the wider Australian screen industry in meaningful ways. She is currently Vice President of the Casting Guild of Australia, Vice President of Screen Illawarra, and an active member of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee of the CGA. That level of industry leadership says a lot about who she is. It reflects not only her experience, but the respect she commands among her peers. It also speaks to her commitment to strengthening the industry, opening doors, championing better representation and helping shape the future of Australian storytelling. Those are values we deeply admire and values that align strongly with the kind of film culture we want to build around FENECH.

For us, having Anousha on board is about more than simply filling roles. It is about trust. It is about knowing that one of the most important creative processes in the film is being guided by someone with extraordinary taste, proven experience and a deep understanding of what makes performances land on screen. It is about surrounding this project with the best possible people and giving Jeff Fenech’s incredible life story the level of care and excellence it deserves.

There is also something deeply exciting about what this means for the film from this point on. Every time another high-calibre creative comes aboard FENECH, the project gets stronger. The foundations get firmer. The confidence grows. And with Anousha now helping shape the remainder of the cast, Daisy supporting that process, and the wider background world of the film being so carefully assembled, we are taking another major leap forward. It is one thing to say you are aiming high. It is another thing entirely to have the people who prove it.

We are genuinely honoured to be working with Anousha Zarkesh on FENECH – The Jeff Fenech Story, and incredibly grateful to also have Daisy Field join the casting team for this important stage of the production. Together, they represent an exceptional team of professionals who will play a major role in helping us bring this world to the screen with truth, scale and authenticity.

What an amazing team. Welcome aboard, Anousha and Daisy — we are proud to have you both with us.