I know it’s a privilege to attend these events.
Often time they lead the release date by a few days, or sometimes even weeks. And I won’t excuse the financial burden it lifts off of me. But at the same time, these very things can often be countered by my own perception of said thing. “I’m here to work” my brain will tell me. And so I may not get caught up in the incredible people who may surround me, or the fanfare and excitement for said thing.
But like Lolo Heimuli says, the blessings will come when you need them. And in this case, it was the friend I took along to this feature debut. Another privilege of having a +1, I know. I knew they loved the world of combat sport. And I do too! I could pick out the Izzy’s from the Eugene’s. Or the Psycho’s from the Mountain Warriors (though I may not have noticed him entering the cinema as I went to greet my friend). But to them, this was their mecca. They looked around, and said something so profound come the documentaries conclusion:
“This room is filled with legacy.”
It was true. And it directly reflects Lolo Heimuli themselves. While the “champion maker” moniker is indeed correct, it doesn’t really speak to what Lolo created with Balmoral Lee Gar Gym. They’ve created a legacy. Something Eugene Bareman empathised with when we briefly stopped them to get a photo of them with my friend. “These stories are sometimes just left as stories aye. One’s we pass on by telling one another. So I’m glad Lolo is up there on the screen like this. His story can be seen by everyone” to paraphrase. I agreed with the sentiment.
I’d seen bits and pieces of Lolo over the years. Small mini-docs on current affairs show on television. Because he was already creating this legacy. This connection to Aotearoa’s most successful combat sports figures. Ray Sefo. Mark Hunt. Eugene Bareman and Israel Adesanya. And many, many more. But now his story is fully captured thanks to Sky Sport NZ and Director Jeremiah Tauamiti.
Lolo’s story is not just about fighting: it’s about faith, family, and the power of community”
Jeremiah Taumiti, Director (LOLO: The Champion Maker)
This resonated with me as I shared a similar feeling with my friend. The film didn’t feel like it was about the rawness of the sport. The viscera. It was about the things that lead people to the ring and see them go toe-to-toe with their fellow man. Lolo wasn’t about the strike and what it did. But they cared for the discipline it took to throw a punch. The fortitude to make the choice to fight at a professional level. And the care it takes to grow people into a person who can throw aside the voices telling them to step back, and to instead take a step forward. Lolo would never admit to convincing someone to do that. As he is simply guiding them and helping them grow into the person he already sees them as.
I enjoyed this angle of the documentary.
It’s not about the fight. It’s about the people and the family you make. And while their connection has come through combat sports, that’s just a small part of the actual journey Lolo has gone on with all these incredible names. His humbling nature and vulnerability to connect and grow people is what has made him the Champion Maker. Because it’s not about making champions. It’s about making people better.
With a runtime as punchy as the sports Lolo Heimuli has coached, and jokes that hit just as hard, LOLO: THE CHAMPION MAKER is a fantastic story about how one person's legacy has resonated throughout so many lives and created so many others.
You thought you knew their full story, but this documentary shows there's so much more.
