Welcome to Global Breakouts, Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films making noise in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track. So we’re going to do the hard work for you.
This week we’re coming to you early, with our pick from Australia, House of Gods, playing in International Competition at Series Mania this coming week. The series follows an Australian-Iraqi family, whose progressive patriarch challenges a conservative rival to become head cleric at a mosque in the suburbs of Sydney.
Name: House of Gods
Country: Australia
Network: ABC
Producer: Matchbox Pictures
International sales: NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution
For fans of: The Sopranos, Succession, Ali’s Wedding
Osamah Sami took the idea for...
This week we’re coming to you early, with our pick from Australia, House of Gods, playing in International Competition at Series Mania this coming week. The series follows an Australian-Iraqi family, whose progressive patriarch challenges a conservative rival to become head cleric at a mosque in the suburbs of Sydney.
Name: House of Gods
Country: Australia
Network: ABC
Producer: Matchbox Pictures
International sales: NBCUniversal Global TV Distribution
For fans of: The Sopranos, Succession, Ali’s Wedding
Osamah Sami took the idea for...
- 3/15/2024
- by Stewart Clarke
- Deadline Film + TV
Iranian drama film “Empty Nets” was Monday named winner of the Aff Feature Fiction Award at the Adelaide Film Festival. Directed by Behrooz Karamizade, it collected an A$10,000 cash prize.
The festival’s competition section is one of the oldest in Australia and seeks to reward bold filmmaking. This year’s competition mostly comprised films by directors making their feature debuts. They included “Blaga’s Lessons,” from Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev; “Embryo Larva Butterfly,” by Greek-Cypriot writer-director Kyros Papavassiliou; “On The Go,” from directors Julia de Castro and Maria Gisele Royo; “Sahela,” directed by Australia’s Raghuvir Joshi; and “You’ll Never Find Me,” from Adelaide-based duo Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell.
“’Empty Nets’ is a searing portrait of the bleak socioeconomic reality for young people without family money in contemporary Iran, distinguished by atmospheric visuals, an evocative sense of place, stirring lead performances and a powerful grasp of the sea as...
The festival’s competition section is one of the oldest in Australia and seeks to reward bold filmmaking. This year’s competition mostly comprised films by directors making their feature debuts. They included “Blaga’s Lessons,” from Bulgarian director Stephan Komandarev; “Embryo Larva Butterfly,” by Greek-Cypriot writer-director Kyros Papavassiliou; “On The Go,” from directors Julia de Castro and Maria Gisele Royo; “Sahela,” directed by Australia’s Raghuvir Joshi; and “You’ll Never Find Me,” from Adelaide-based duo Josiah Allen and Indianna Bell.
“’Empty Nets’ is a searing portrait of the bleak socioeconomic reality for young people without family money in contemporary Iran, distinguished by atmospheric visuals, an evocative sense of place, stirring lead performances and a powerful grasp of the sea as...
- 10/23/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
The South Australian festival iis now an annual event.
Films from Europe, the Middle East and Australia dominate the fiction and documentary competitions at the Adelaide Film Festival (Aff), the first since an injection of government funding enabled the event to step up from being biennial to annual.
The festival will take place in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, from October 18-29.
The opening film will be the Australian premiere of Kitty Green’s Toronto premiere and awards hopeful The Royal Hotel, produced by UK-Australian outfit See-Saw Films. The world premiere of Scott Hicks’ music documentary My Name’s Ben Folds – I Play Piano,...
Films from Europe, the Middle East and Australia dominate the fiction and documentary competitions at the Adelaide Film Festival (Aff), the first since an injection of government funding enabled the event to step up from being biennial to annual.
The festival will take place in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia, from October 18-29.
The opening film will be the Australian premiere of Kitty Green’s Toronto premiere and awards hopeful The Royal Hotel, produced by UK-Australian outfit See-Saw Films. The world premiere of Scott Hicks’ music documentary My Name’s Ben Folds – I Play Piano,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Sandy George
- ScreenDaily
Stars Acting Up At Busan
Oscar-winning Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung will headline the Actors’ House section of the upcoming Busan International Film Festival, it was announced on Thursday.
Introduced in 2021, Actors’ House is a special series that connects audiences and film enthusiasts with iconic actors from the current generation through its in-depth discussions. “There’s much anticipation to hear her words of wisdom, as she’s known for her insightful observations,” said the festival.
Others this year include: Han Hyo-joo, Song Joong-ki and Korean-American actor and author John Cho. Han is known for performances in 2015’s “The Beauty Inside,” “W” (2016), “Happiness (2021), and last year’s “The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure.” She will be in Busan with Netflix-backed “Believer 2” and recently appeared in the Disney+ original series, “Moving.”
Song, who hosted the 2021 Busan festival’s opening ceremony, was recently seen in “Hopeless,” one of the handful of Korean films in Cannes this year.
Oscar-winning Korean actor Youn Yuh-jung will headline the Actors’ House section of the upcoming Busan International Film Festival, it was announced on Thursday.
Introduced in 2021, Actors’ House is a special series that connects audiences and film enthusiasts with iconic actors from the current generation through its in-depth discussions. “There’s much anticipation to hear her words of wisdom, as she’s known for her insightful observations,” said the festival.
Others this year include: Han Hyo-joo, Song Joong-ki and Korean-American actor and author John Cho. Han is known for performances in 2015’s “The Beauty Inside,” “W” (2016), “Happiness (2021), and last year’s “The Pirates: The Last Royal Treasure.” She will be in Busan with Netflix-backed “Believer 2” and recently appeared in the Disney+ original series, “Moving.”
Song, who hosted the 2021 Busan festival’s opening ceremony, was recently seen in “Hopeless,” one of the handful of Korean films in Cannes this year.
- 9/14/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Storyd Group co-founder Deanne Weir is among the speakers for this weekend's Women in Media National conference in Sydney, taking to the stage alongside Made Up Stories producer and principal Bruna Papandrea and former ABC head of scripted Sally Riley for a panel discussion titled Driving Female Narratives.
The post ‘It’s not just having more stories about women’: Deanne Weir on driving female narratives appeared first on If Magazine.
The post ‘It’s not just having more stories about women’: Deanne Weir on driving female narratives appeared first on If Magazine.
- 9/7/2023
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Australian actors Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths have begun production on the final six-episode season of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s award-winning female-led political drama series “Total Control.”
With screenplays by Stuart Page, Julia Moriarty, Pip Karmel and Meyne Wyatt, season three picks up almost two years after the explosive events of the second season.
Outsider turned kingmaker, Alex Irving (Mailman), is completely at home in the nation’s capital. While Rachel Anderson (Griffiths), now an occasional ally, is threatening to upend the entire system by establishing her own political party. However, as Alex attempts to carve out a nation changing legacy, a controversy engineered by her enemies threatens to destroy her career and public reputation. In the final season, Alex must make a choice: either she can stay true to her principles and accept defeat, or she can get her hands dirty and fight back.
Directed by Wayne Blair and Jub Clerc,...
With screenplays by Stuart Page, Julia Moriarty, Pip Karmel and Meyne Wyatt, season three picks up almost two years after the explosive events of the second season.
Outsider turned kingmaker, Alex Irving (Mailman), is completely at home in the nation’s capital. While Rachel Anderson (Griffiths), now an occasional ally, is threatening to upend the entire system by establishing her own political party. However, as Alex attempts to carve out a nation changing legacy, a controversy engineered by her enemies threatens to destroy her career and public reputation. In the final season, Alex must make a choice: either she can stay true to her principles and accept defeat, or she can get her hands dirty and fight back.
Directed by Wayne Blair and Jub Clerc,...
- 6/1/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Nordic streamer Viaplay and Amazon’s ad-supported service Freevee have scored online rights to the Australian crime drama Troppo from German group Leonine Studios.
Viaplay picked up SVOD rights to the series, based on Candice Fox’s best-selling Crimson Lake novels, for the Nordics, the Netherlands, Poland and the Baltic region. Amazon Freevee scored AVOD rights for Germany and the U.K.
In Troppo, Thomas Jane plays Ted Conkaffey, a down-and-out ex-cop living in tropical Far North Queensland, Australia, who is recruited by Amanda Pharell (Nicole Chamoun), an eccentric small town private investigator, to investigate the murder of a brilliant tech pioneer. Created and written by Yolanda Ramke (Cargo) and co-directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (Wakefield), Troppo premiered on Australian’s ABC and debuted in the U.S. on Freevee in May.
Radha Mitchell (Olympus Has Fallen), David Lyons (Eat Pray Love) and Yerin Ha (Halo) co-star.
Nordic streamer Viaplay and Amazon’s ad-supported service Freevee have scored online rights to the Australian crime drama Troppo from German group Leonine Studios.
Viaplay picked up SVOD rights to the series, based on Candice Fox’s best-selling Crimson Lake novels, for the Nordics, the Netherlands, Poland and the Baltic region. Amazon Freevee scored AVOD rights for Germany and the U.K.
In Troppo, Thomas Jane plays Ted Conkaffey, a down-and-out ex-cop living in tropical Far North Queensland, Australia, who is recruited by Amanda Pharell (Nicole Chamoun), an eccentric small town private investigator, to investigate the murder of a brilliant tech pioneer. Created and written by Yolanda Ramke (Cargo) and co-directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse (Wakefield), Troppo premiered on Australian’s ABC and debuted in the U.S. on Freevee in May.
Radha Mitchell (Olympus Has Fallen), David Lyons (Eat Pray Love) and Yerin Ha (Halo) co-star.
- 10/17/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Australian murder mystery series “Troppo” will premiere on Amazon Freevee May 20, as one of the first originals to launch on the newly renamed streaming platform.
Based on the novel “Crimson Lake” by Cameron Fox, “Troppo” stars Thomas Jane as Ted Conkaffey, an ex-cop accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Hiding out in the Far North Queensland, he’s recruited by private investigator Amanda Pharrell (Nicole Chamoun) into helping her investigate a bizarre murder case and track down a missing person. In addition to Jane and Chamoun, the cast also includes David Lyons, Yerin Ha, Sun Park, Ling Cooper Tang, Kate Beahan, Cramer Cain, Peta Wilson, Angela Punch McGregor, Damien Garvey, Josh Helman and Radha Mitchell.
“Troppo” initially premiered in Australia this past February on ABC TV. News of it being picked up for a U.S. release on IMDb TV was announced last August. “Troppo” will...
Based on the novel “Crimson Lake” by Cameron Fox, “Troppo” stars Thomas Jane as Ted Conkaffey, an ex-cop accused of a crime that he didn’t commit. Hiding out in the Far North Queensland, he’s recruited by private investigator Amanda Pharrell (Nicole Chamoun) into helping her investigate a bizarre murder case and track down a missing person. In addition to Jane and Chamoun, the cast also includes David Lyons, Yerin Ha, Sun Park, Ling Cooper Tang, Kate Beahan, Cramer Cain, Peta Wilson, Angela Punch McGregor, Damien Garvey, Josh Helman and Radha Mitchell.
“Troppo” initially premiered in Australia this past February on ABC TV. News of it being picked up for a U.S. release on IMDb TV was announced last August. “Troppo” will...
- 4/14/2022
- by Carson Burton and Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
“Barons,” a surf and business drama series that plays this week at Series Mania, is a calling card for the newly re-structured Australian operations of TV giant Fremantle.
In recent weeks, leadership of the unscripted side of the business has been put in the hands of Eureka, a company in which it bought an increased shareholding last year. That leaves the remainder, under the management of Greg Woods, focused on high end drama and documentaries.
Insiders have called the new emphasis on premium drama and big factual pieces a new chapter for the company.
Other upcoming shows include the recently wrapped “Heartbreak High” for Netflix, “Significant Others” for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and “Jump” for local streamer Stan.
“These guys with very humble origins, in this tin pot town in Australia, become like Cain and Abel. They’re kind of friends and rivals. That works as a kind of ceiling.
In recent weeks, leadership of the unscripted side of the business has been put in the hands of Eureka, a company in which it bought an increased shareholding last year. That leaves the remainder, under the management of Greg Woods, focused on high end drama and documentaries.
Insiders have called the new emphasis on premium drama and big factual pieces a new chapter for the company.
Other upcoming shows include the recently wrapped “Heartbreak High” for Netflix, “Significant Others” for the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and “Jump” for local streamer Stan.
“These guys with very humble origins, in this tin pot town in Australia, become like Cain and Abel. They’re kind of friends and rivals. That works as a kind of ceiling.
- 3/24/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
“South Park” is celebrating its upcoming 25th anniversary with the announcement of a new episode set to premiere on March 2, as well as a 30-piece orchestral rendition of its hit song, “Chocolate Salty Balls.”
The song was featured on the show’s first season, and went on to claim the No. 1 spot on the U.K. charts. It was written by “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker, who, along with Matt Stone, went on to write the Tony Award-winning musical “The Book of Mormon.” “Chocolate Salty Balls” was originally performed by the late Isaac Hayes, who played the character of Chef on the series for its first nine seasons.
“South Park” launched on Comedy Central on Aug. 13, 1997, co-created by Stone and Parker. Parker, Stone, Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II are the show’s executive producers. Producers are Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman.
Watch the orchestral...
The song was featured on the show’s first season, and went on to claim the No. 1 spot on the U.K. charts. It was written by “South Park” co-creator Trey Parker, who, along with Matt Stone, went on to write the Tony Award-winning musical “The Book of Mormon.” “Chocolate Salty Balls” was originally performed by the late Isaac Hayes, who played the character of Chef on the series for its first nine seasons.
“South Park” launched on Comedy Central on Aug. 13, 1997, co-created by Stone and Parker. Parker, Stone, Anne Garefino and Frank C. Agnone II are the show’s executive producers. Producers are Eric Stough, Adrien Beard, Bruce Howell and Vernon Chatman.
Watch the orchestral...
- 2/22/2022
- by Sasha Urban, Wilson Chapman and Wyatte Grantham-Philips
- Variety Film + TV
With the future of Australian TV drama under the microscope, there was always going to be added interest in the ABC’s 2022 slate.
The public broadcaster will deliver in the genre in its 90th year, officially announcing at today’s upfronts new series Significant Others and Savage River.
They join titles Mystery Road: Origin, Troppo, and Barons in a drama line-up that is noticeably larger than what has so far been announced by the commercial free-to-air platforms.
ABC director of entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington told If the broadcaster was pleased to be able to meet demand in the space.
“It’s something our audiences want and I’m thrilled we’re able to provide it,” he said.
“Drama is a really expensive genre. It takes a lot of effort, resources, craft skills, etc. to build a drama series, as well as a lot of time.
“Obviously we are investing...
The public broadcaster will deliver in the genre in its 90th year, officially announcing at today’s upfronts new series Significant Others and Savage River.
They join titles Mystery Road: Origin, Troppo, and Barons in a drama line-up that is noticeably larger than what has so far been announced by the commercial free-to-air platforms.
ABC director of entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington told If the broadcaster was pleased to be able to meet demand in the space.
“It’s something our audiences want and I’m thrilled we’re able to provide it,” he said.
“Drama is a really expensive genre. It takes a lot of effort, resources, craft skills, etc. to build a drama series, as well as a lot of time.
“Obviously we are investing...
- 11/25/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Screenworks, the national not-for-profit organisation that provides industry and talent development programs and networking for people living in regional Australia, has attracted some of the industry’s biggest names for its annual fundraiser.
Top Row: Amanda Duthie, Cate Shortland, Tony Ayres, Paul Weigard, Sophia Zachariou, Sally Caplan Middle Row: Que Minh Luu, Nathan Mayfiel, Sally Riley, Daina Reid, Joanna Werner, Alastair McKinnon Bottom Row: Nash Edgerton, Jodi Matterson, Kylie Washington, Vanessa Alexander, Lana Greenhalgh
Each year, Screenworks runs a series of raffles to raise funds that directly support its programs and initiatives that are delivered across the country. After successfully raffling a selection of 1-on-1 consultations with industry executives last year, the organisation is doing it again this year to support the career pathways of emerging practitioners across Australia.
Screenworks has secured a range of prominent professionals working in the Australian screen industry, including Clickbait and Fires co-creator Tony Ayres,...
Top Row: Amanda Duthie, Cate Shortland, Tony Ayres, Paul Weigard, Sophia Zachariou, Sally Caplan Middle Row: Que Minh Luu, Nathan Mayfiel, Sally Riley, Daina Reid, Joanna Werner, Alastair McKinnon Bottom Row: Nash Edgerton, Jodi Matterson, Kylie Washington, Vanessa Alexander, Lana Greenhalgh
Each year, Screenworks runs a series of raffles to raise funds that directly support its programs and initiatives that are delivered across the country. After successfully raffling a selection of 1-on-1 consultations with industry executives last year, the organisation is doing it again this year to support the career pathways of emerging practitioners across Australia.
Screenworks has secured a range of prominent professionals working in the Australian screen industry, including Clickbait and Fires co-creator Tony Ayres,...
- 10/25/2021
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Tasmania will welcome production on crime/thriller drama series Bay of Fires next year after the ABC greenlit the project.
Produced by Archipelago Productions and Fremantle, the story follows single mother of two Stella Heikkinen (Marta Dusseldorp) as she experiences a spectacular and life-threatening fall from grace.
Betrayed by her own company and in immediate danger, Stella has no option but to move her young family to a small town in the Tasmanian wilds tiny amidst a community rife with simmering feuds, crime, and sometimes, murder.
Dusseldorp, who signed an exclusive development and production partnership with Fremantle in 2018, created the series with Andrew Knight and Max Dann, both of whom are writers alongside Sarah Bassiuoni.
She also produces for Archipelago Productions, alongside Sally Riley for the ABC, and Yvonne Collins. Executive producing are Greg Sitch, alongside Louise Smith for the ABC, and Chris Oliver-Taylor for Fremantle.
Major production investment has come from Screen Australia,...
Produced by Archipelago Productions and Fremantle, the story follows single mother of two Stella Heikkinen (Marta Dusseldorp) as she experiences a spectacular and life-threatening fall from grace.
Betrayed by her own company and in immediate danger, Stella has no option but to move her young family to a small town in the Tasmanian wilds tiny amidst a community rife with simmering feuds, crime, and sometimes, murder.
Dusseldorp, who signed an exclusive development and production partnership with Fremantle in 2018, created the series with Andrew Knight and Max Dann, both of whom are writers alongside Sarah Bassiuoni.
She also produces for Archipelago Productions, alongside Sally Riley for the ABC, and Yvonne Collins. Executive producing are Greg Sitch, alongside Louise Smith for the ABC, and Chris Oliver-Taylor for Fremantle.
Major production investment has come from Screen Australia,...
- 10/20/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Some of Australian drama’s recent triumphs were used to examine the relationship between development processes and international success at Series Mania Melbourne on Thursday.
Clickbait and Fires co-creator Tony Ayres, ABC head of scripted production Sally Riley, Matchbox Pictures scripted development director Debbie Lee, and Fires co-creator Belinda Chayko joined journalist Sandy George for a discussion about how ideas are shaped from the writers’ room to production.
Fires, the ABC anthology series about the Black Summer bushfires, served as a key point of reference throughout the conversation, partly due to its relatively quick journey from the first writers’ room in March 2020 through to production in Melbourne and regional Victoria earlier this year.
Chayko said the “incredibly fast” development period required the full attention of people that knew what they were doing.
“In order to fit into that timeframe, we had to be really smart about how we did it,...
Clickbait and Fires co-creator Tony Ayres, ABC head of scripted production Sally Riley, Matchbox Pictures scripted development director Debbie Lee, and Fires co-creator Belinda Chayko joined journalist Sandy George for a discussion about how ideas are shaped from the writers’ room to production.
Fires, the ABC anthology series about the Black Summer bushfires, served as a key point of reference throughout the conversation, partly due to its relatively quick journey from the first writers’ room in March 2020 through to production in Melbourne and regional Victoria earlier this year.
Chayko said the “incredibly fast” development period required the full attention of people that knew what they were doing.
“In order to fit into that timeframe, we had to be really smart about how we did it,...
- 10/15/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
The second season of Total Control will launch on the ABC November 7.
In the first season, political newcomer Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman) engineered a coup against Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths), the Prime Minister who appointed her to the Senate.
In season two, both Alex and Rachel find themselves treading different political paths. After being dumped by her own party, Rachel relies on strategist Nick Pearce (Alex Dimitriades) to guide her political ambitions, while Alex finds herself surrounded by a new team, led by her brother Charlie (Rob Collins). But politics can be a nasty business. Will Alex’s determination and the tenacity of her grass-roots driven team be enough? Can she survive a system determined to shake everything she values? And can these political adversaries become political allies?
Reprising their roles in the Blackfella Films series are Rob Collins, Wes Patten, Anthony Hayes, William McInnes, Huw Higginson and Lisa Flanagan,...
In the first season, political newcomer Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman) engineered a coup against Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths), the Prime Minister who appointed her to the Senate.
In season two, both Alex and Rachel find themselves treading different political paths. After being dumped by her own party, Rachel relies on strategist Nick Pearce (Alex Dimitriades) to guide her political ambitions, while Alex finds herself surrounded by a new team, led by her brother Charlie (Rob Collins). But politics can be a nasty business. Will Alex’s determination and the tenacity of her grass-roots driven team be enough? Can she survive a system determined to shake everything she values? And can these political adversaries become political allies?
Reprising their roles in the Blackfella Films series are Rob Collins, Wes Patten, Anthony Hayes, William McInnes, Huw Higginson and Lisa Flanagan,...
- 10/7/2021
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Series Mania Melbourne promises to go behind the curtains of some of the world’s leading dramas and comedies, with the industry program to include talks with Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny.
Audiences will also hear from Succession writer and I Hate Suzie co-creator Lucy Prebble, and Sierra Teller Ornelas, Navajo co-creator of Rutherford Falls.
The industry day, organised with Film Victoria and Acmi, will take place online October 14 via a series of talks and masterclasses. In addition to the international speakers, there will be a number of sessions focused on Australian content.
A panel featuring producers Tony Ayres and Debbie Lee; ABC head of drama, comedy and Indigenous Sally Riley; and writer and director Belinda Chayko will tackle the Australian industry’s approach to development, and how this stacks up in the global commissioning environment.
BTS of ‘Surviving Summer’.
Surviving Summer creators Joanna Werner and...
Audiences will also hear from Succession writer and I Hate Suzie co-creator Lucy Prebble, and Sierra Teller Ornelas, Navajo co-creator of Rutherford Falls.
The industry day, organised with Film Victoria and Acmi, will take place online October 14 via a series of talks and masterclasses. In addition to the international speakers, there will be a number of sessions focused on Australian content.
A panel featuring producers Tony Ayres and Debbie Lee; ABC head of drama, comedy and Indigenous Sally Riley; and writer and director Belinda Chayko will tackle the Australian industry’s approach to development, and how this stacks up in the global commissioning environment.
BTS of ‘Surviving Summer’.
Surviving Summer creators Joanna Werner and...
- 10/5/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia has promoted Angela Bates to head of First Nations following the departure of Penny Smallacombe in May.
Bates steps into the role after almost three years as development and investment manager for the First Nations department, during which time she supported titles such as Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, the second season of Total Control, the third season of Little J & Big Cuz, as well as Indigenous initiative Cook 2020: Our Right of Reply, and the pilot of the First Nations Creator Program.
She has more than two decades of experience in the media sector as a TV producer, writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker, with her career including multiple roles at Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (Caama radio), Sydney’s Koori Radio, Sbs’s Living Black program, and Nitv.
While at Nitv, she was the inaugural executive producer for Nitv National News, where she set up the first...
Bates steps into the role after almost three years as development and investment manager for the First Nations department, during which time she supported titles such as Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky, the second season of Total Control, the third season of Little J & Big Cuz, as well as Indigenous initiative Cook 2020: Our Right of Reply, and the pilot of the First Nations Creator Program.
She has more than two decades of experience in the media sector as a TV producer, writer, journalist, and documentary filmmaker, with her career including multiple roles at Central Australian Aboriginal Media Association (Caama radio), Sydney’s Koori Radio, Sbs’s Living Black program, and Nitv.
While at Nitv, she was the inaugural executive producer for Nitv National News, where she set up the first...
- 9/24/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Mark Coles Smith is set to take the baton from Aaron Pedersen and play a young Jay Swan in Mystery Road: Origin, ABC/Bunya Productions’ latest instalment in the crime drama franchise.
Set in 1999, the series will see Constable Jay Swan as young charismatic officer at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge Detective Jay Swan.
“Audiences have long been intrigued with the enigmatic detective,” said producer Greer Simpkin.
“Now we peel back the layers of Jay Swan, to discover...
Set in 1999, the series will see Constable Jay Swan as young charismatic officer at his new station. Fresh from the city and tipped for big things, Jay might be the new copper, but he’s not new to this town. His estranged father Jack lives here, as does the woman who will change his life forever, Mary.
Mystery Road: Origin will explore how a tragic death, an epic love, and the brutal reality of life as a police officer straddling two worlds, form the indelible mould out of which will emerge Detective Jay Swan.
“Audiences have long been intrigued with the enigmatic detective,” said producer Greer Simpkin.
“Now we peel back the layers of Jay Swan, to discover...
- 8/23/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Nicole Chamoun will star opposite US actor Thomas Jane in ABC crime drama Troppo, with cameras now rolling in Queensland.
Produced by Beyond Entertainment and Eq Media Group in association with Jane’s production company Renegade Entertainment, the Fnq-set series is created by Yolanda Ramke and based on the novel Crimson Lake by Candice Fox.
Chamoun, best known for her roles in On The Ropes, The Gloaming, Safe Harbour and Romper Stomper, plays Amanda Pharrell, an eccentric Pi with a disturbing criminal past. She begrudgingly recruits disgraced ex-cop Ted Conkaffey (Jane) to investigate the murder of a brilliant research scientist.
As they battle to uncover the truth, and the tightly held secrets of Crimson Lake, their own traumatic pasts are dragged painfully into the present – tearing them apart, as each of them faces their own fight for sanity and survival.
The supporting cast includes David Lyons, Sun Park, Simon Lyndon,...
Produced by Beyond Entertainment and Eq Media Group in association with Jane’s production company Renegade Entertainment, the Fnq-set series is created by Yolanda Ramke and based on the novel Crimson Lake by Candice Fox.
Chamoun, best known for her roles in On The Ropes, The Gloaming, Safe Harbour and Romper Stomper, plays Amanda Pharrell, an eccentric Pi with a disturbing criminal past. She begrudgingly recruits disgraced ex-cop Ted Conkaffey (Jane) to investigate the murder of a brilliant research scientist.
As they battle to uncover the truth, and the tightly held secrets of Crimson Lake, their own traumatic pasts are dragged painfully into the present – tearing them apart, as each of them faces their own fight for sanity and survival.
The supporting cast includes David Lyons, Sun Park, Simon Lyndon,...
- 8/12/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
IMDb TV has picked up the first season of Australian drama series Troppo, based on Candice Fox’s bestselling novel Crimson Lake, starring and executive produced by Thomas Jane (The Expanse The Vanished) via his Renegade Entertainment. The upcoming series comes from Eq Media Group, Beyond Entertainment and AGC Television, the television production and distribution division of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios. Production is currently underway in Australia.
Adapted for television by Yolanda Ramke, Troppo is the story of Ted Conkaffey (Jane), an ex-cop falsely accused of committing a disturbing crime, who has escaped to hide away in the tropics of Far North Queensland. As he tries to avoid discovery, he’s drawn into investigating a wild murder and a missing person, alongside a complicated woman, with dark secrets of her own.
Troppo is based on Fox’s book Crimson Lake, the first novel of a gripping contemporary crime series set in Queensland,...
Adapted for television by Yolanda Ramke, Troppo is the story of Ted Conkaffey (Jane), an ex-cop falsely accused of committing a disturbing crime, who has escaped to hide away in the tropics of Far North Queensland. As he tries to avoid discovery, he’s drawn into investigating a wild murder and a missing person, alongside a complicated woman, with dark secrets of her own.
Troppo is based on Fox’s book Crimson Lake, the first novel of a gripping contemporary crime series set in Queensland,...
- 8/5/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Showtime has headed down under for its latest drama series acquisition.
The ViacomCBS premium cabler has picked up Wakefield, an Australian series starring The Split’s Rudi Dharmalingam and set an October 18 premiere date.
The eight-episode series, which debuted on Australian public broadcaster ABC in April, is a psychological drama that shines a comedic light on what happens when the sanest individual working in a psych ward begins to lose his grip. It is inspired by creator Kristen Dunphy’s personal experiences.
Dharmalingam plays Nik Katira, who after years working as psych nurse at Wakefield, is exceptionally good at his job. With a gift for soothing the afflicted and reaching the unreachable, he’s the most stable person in what tends to be a pretty crazy place. But right now, as his own sanity is slipping, the question is … why? Tackling the complexity of mental illness with humor and heart,...
The ViacomCBS premium cabler has picked up Wakefield, an Australian series starring The Split’s Rudi Dharmalingam and set an October 18 premiere date.
The eight-episode series, which debuted on Australian public broadcaster ABC in April, is a psychological drama that shines a comedic light on what happens when the sanest individual working in a psych ward begins to lose his grip. It is inspired by creator Kristen Dunphy’s personal experiences.
Dharmalingam plays Nik Katira, who after years working as psych nurse at Wakefield, is exceptionally good at his job. With a gift for soothing the afflicted and reaching the unreachable, he’s the most stable person in what tends to be a pretty crazy place. But right now, as his own sanity is slipping, the question is … why? Tackling the complexity of mental illness with humor and heart,...
- 7/14/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Anna Torv and Sam Reid lead the cast of the ABC’s upcoming six-part drama series The Newsreader set to premiere August 15 at 8.30pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
Set in the tumultuous world of a television newsroom, Werner Film Productions’ The Newsreader takes us back to 1986 – when Halley’s Comet was a must see, the AIDS crisis was taking hold and the Challenger explosion shocked the world. Amongst it all, newsreader Helen Norville (Anna Torv) is determined to build her credibility, while her colleague Dale Jennings (Sam Reid) is desperate to become a newsreader.
From messy beginnings, they will form an unlikely bond that will transform the very fabric of the nightly news bulletin.
The Newsreader also stars Robert Taylor, William McInnes, Michelle Lim Davidson, Stephen Peacocke, Chai Hansen, Chum Ehelepola and Marg Downey.
The series is created by Michael Lucas, who penned the script with Jonathan Gavin,...
Set in the tumultuous world of a television newsroom, Werner Film Productions’ The Newsreader takes us back to 1986 – when Halley’s Comet was a must see, the AIDS crisis was taking hold and the Challenger explosion shocked the world. Amongst it all, newsreader Helen Norville (Anna Torv) is determined to build her credibility, while her colleague Dale Jennings (Sam Reid) is desperate to become a newsreader.
From messy beginnings, they will form an unlikely bond that will transform the very fabric of the nightly news bulletin.
The Newsreader also stars Robert Taylor, William McInnes, Michelle Lim Davidson, Stephen Peacocke, Chai Hansen, Chum Ehelepola and Marg Downey.
The series is created by Michael Lucas, who penned the script with Jonathan Gavin,...
- 7/11/2021
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Louise Smith has been appointed to work within the ABC’s drama, entertainment, and Indigenous content division as an executive producer.
The producer has more than 20 years’ experience across features and TV, including the ABC telemovie Riot, Nash Edgerton’s The Square, and Tony McNamara’s The Rage in Placid Lake.
She was also an EP on Dance Academy: The Movie written by Samantha Strauss and directed by Jeffrey Walker.
More recently, Smith produced the 10-part drama series The End for Foxtel, Sky UK, and Showtime, which was created by Strauss.
She said she was drawn to the quality of the shows broadcast on the ABC.
“Working across the drama, comedy and Indigenous slate at our national broadcaster will allow me the opportunity tell world-class stories and collaborate with the best producers, writers and directors in Australia,” she said.
“I am excited for the chance to discover and develop diverse...
The producer has more than 20 years’ experience across features and TV, including the ABC telemovie Riot, Nash Edgerton’s The Square, and Tony McNamara’s The Rage in Placid Lake.
She was also an EP on Dance Academy: The Movie written by Samantha Strauss and directed by Jeffrey Walker.
More recently, Smith produced the 10-part drama series The End for Foxtel, Sky UK, and Showtime, which was created by Strauss.
She said she was drawn to the quality of the shows broadcast on the ABC.
“Working across the drama, comedy and Indigenous slate at our national broadcaster will allow me the opportunity tell world-class stories and collaborate with the best producers, writers and directors in Australia,” she said.
“I am excited for the chance to discover and develop diverse...
- 5/17/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
US star Thomas Jane has been announced as the lead for ABC crime series Troppo, due to shoot on the Gold Coast and Far North Queensland mid-year.
Based on Candice Fox’s bestselling novel Crimson Lake, the eight-part series centres on disgraced ex-cop Ted Conkaffey (Jane), who is mismatched with eccentric private investigator Amanda Pharrell to help uncover the whereabouts of a missing Korean family man and tech pioneer.
As they begin to uncover a string of bizarre deaths, the unlikely duo is thrust into a mutual fight for survival and sanity in the wilds of Far North Queensland.
Produced by Eq Media and Beyond Entertainment, with AGC Television onboard as co-financier and co-producer, Troppo is created by Yolanda Ramke, with Jocelyn Moorhouse the set-up director.
The series producer is Karl Zwicky, with executive producers including Quail, Lisa Duff and Simonne Overend (Eq Media Group), Mikael Borglund and David Ogilvy...
Based on Candice Fox’s bestselling novel Crimson Lake, the eight-part series centres on disgraced ex-cop Ted Conkaffey (Jane), who is mismatched with eccentric private investigator Amanda Pharrell to help uncover the whereabouts of a missing Korean family man and tech pioneer.
As they begin to uncover a string of bizarre deaths, the unlikely duo is thrust into a mutual fight for survival and sanity in the wilds of Far North Queensland.
Produced by Eq Media and Beyond Entertainment, with AGC Television onboard as co-financier and co-producer, Troppo is created by Yolanda Ramke, with Jocelyn Moorhouse the set-up director.
The series producer is Karl Zwicky, with executive producers including Quail, Lisa Duff and Simonne Overend (Eq Media Group), Mikael Borglund and David Ogilvy...
- 4/22/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
Business and the beach are set to collide in the ABC’s Barons, an eight-part ’70s-set surfing drama from Fremantle, Micanical Media and 2Jons, due to kick off later this year in Nsw.
The ABC has been developing the series, created by Micanical’s Michael Lawrence, 2Jon’s John Molloy and scribe Liz Doran, since 2019, confirming that it has taken it to commission today.
Shawn Seet and Emmy-Award winning surf director Taylor Steele will helm the drama, which has parallels to the Billabong and Quiksilver sagas.
Barons follows a group of surf-crazy hippy friends who turn their backs on the world in search of their ideal patch of surfing paradise.
Little do they know that their desire for ultimate freedom and the perfect wave, will take them from the beach to the boardroom, creating billion-dollar empires. But in selling their surfing dream to the world, these best friends will become...
The ABC has been developing the series, created by Micanical’s Michael Lawrence, 2Jon’s John Molloy and scribe Liz Doran, since 2019, confirming that it has taken it to commission today.
Shawn Seet and Emmy-Award winning surf director Taylor Steele will helm the drama, which has parallels to the Billabong and Quiksilver sagas.
Barons follows a group of surf-crazy hippy friends who turn their backs on the world in search of their ideal patch of surfing paradise.
Little do they know that their desire for ultimate freedom and the perfect wave, will take them from the beach to the boardroom, creating billion-dollar empires. But in selling their surfing dream to the world, these best friends will become...
- 4/22/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
The ABC and Tony Ayres Productions’ (Tap) anthology drama Fires is underway in Victoria, with a stellar cast that boasts Eliza Scanlen, Sam Worthington, Richard Roxburgh, Sullivan Stapleton, Miranda Otto, Hunter Page-Lochard, Anna Torv, Kate Box, Helana Sawires, Daniel Henshall, and Noni Hazlehurst.
Joining the ensemble are also newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.
Fires, co-created by Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, is inspired by accounts from people who survived the catastrophic fire season of late 2019 and early 2020.
Each episode is based around a different community, drawn from reports of ordinary people and the impossible choices they were forced to make.
Chayko, who is the showrunner and lead writer, said: “So many people were affected by the fires of 2019/2020 and we wanted to honour their experiences and the losses they suffered – to ensure that their stories were not forgotten. Fires is a series about ordinary people, caught in the unimaginable,...
Joining the ensemble are also newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.
Fires, co-created by Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, is inspired by accounts from people who survived the catastrophic fire season of late 2019 and early 2020.
Each episode is based around a different community, drawn from reports of ordinary people and the impossible choices they were forced to make.
Chayko, who is the showrunner and lead writer, said: “So many people were affected by the fires of 2019/2020 and we wanted to honour their experiences and the losses they suffered – to ensure that their stories were not forgotten. Fires is a series about ordinary people, caught in the unimaginable,...
- 4/9/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Deborah Mailman and Rachel Griffiths will be joined on screen by a host of new faces for the second season of the ABC/Blackfella Films’ Total Control, including Wayne Blair, who will also direct all six episodes.
Steph Tisdell stars in her first dramatic role, alongside other new cast members such as Alex Dimitriades, Colin Friels, Harry Greenwood, Rob Carlton, Daniella Farinacci, Brenna Harding, Benedict Hardie, and Anita Hegh.
Returning are Rob Collins, Anthony Hayes, William McInnes, Huw Higginson, Wes Patten, Lisa Flanagan and Harry Richardson.
Filming is currently underway, with production to take place across Sydney; Canberra, including at Parliament House, and Broken Hill.
The first season of the multiple Aacta Award-winning drama saw political newcomer Alex Irving (Mailman) engineer a coup against Rachel Anderson (Griffiths), the Prime Minister who appointed her to the Senate.
Season two sees Alex running as an independent. She’ll be ready for the...
Steph Tisdell stars in her first dramatic role, alongside other new cast members such as Alex Dimitriades, Colin Friels, Harry Greenwood, Rob Carlton, Daniella Farinacci, Brenna Harding, Benedict Hardie, and Anita Hegh.
Returning are Rob Collins, Anthony Hayes, William McInnes, Huw Higginson, Wes Patten, Lisa Flanagan and Harry Richardson.
Filming is currently underway, with production to take place across Sydney; Canberra, including at Parliament House, and Broken Hill.
The first season of the multiple Aacta Award-winning drama saw political newcomer Alex Irving (Mailman) engineer a coup against Rachel Anderson (Griffiths), the Prime Minister who appointed her to the Senate.
Season two sees Alex running as an independent. She’ll be ready for the...
- 3/25/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Nick Hayden.
The ABC has promoted entertainment manager Nick Hayden, who created the iso-comedy At Home Alone Together, Whovians, Tonightly and the Australia Talks live show, to head of entertainment.
Hayden will drive the entertainment slate including Gruen, Hard Quiz, Mad As Hell, The Weekly, You Can’t Ask That and the upcoming Reputation Rehab.
His appointment completes a restructuring of the content divisions which resulted in the exit of head of entertainment and factual Josie Mason-Campbell.
Last week Jennifer Collins was named the ABC’s inaugural head of factual and culture, leading the development and production across arts, religion, science, education, health, history and social affairs.
Earlier Todd Abbott came on board as head of comedy, a role held by a number of execs in an acting capacity after the departure of Rick Kalowski.
Since joining the ABC in 2016 as an executive producer, entertainment, he developed and produced the Spicks and Specks Reunion Specials,...
The ABC has promoted entertainment manager Nick Hayden, who created the iso-comedy At Home Alone Together, Whovians, Tonightly and the Australia Talks live show, to head of entertainment.
Hayden will drive the entertainment slate including Gruen, Hard Quiz, Mad As Hell, The Weekly, You Can’t Ask That and the upcoming Reputation Rehab.
His appointment completes a restructuring of the content divisions which resulted in the exit of head of entertainment and factual Josie Mason-Campbell.
Last week Jennifer Collins was named the ABC’s inaugural head of factual and culture, leading the development and production across arts, religion, science, education, health, history and social affairs.
Earlier Todd Abbott came on board as head of comedy, a role held by a number of execs in an acting capacity after the departure of Rick Kalowski.
Since joining the ABC in 2016 as an executive producer, entertainment, he developed and produced the Spicks and Specks Reunion Specials,...
- 10/5/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Charlotte Nicdao and Gemma Bird Matheson in ‘Content’ (Photo credit: ABC/Mia Forrest).
Ludo Studio’s vertical comedy Content and Endemol Shine Australia’s documentary Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, both ABC commissions, will fly the flag for Australia at this year’s International Emmy Awards.
Produced by Meg O’Connell and written by Anna Barnes, the comedy starring Charlotte Nicdao as Lucy, an extrovert chasing Internet fame and Gemma Bird Matheson as her best friend Daisy, is nominated for Short-Form Series.
“I love this show so much and I’m so proud of the team,” Ludo Studio’s Daley Pearson said on social media. “This is Ludo’s 4th Emmy [nomination] and I’m so happy for everyone at the studio.”
In April, the Brisbane-based studio’s Bluey won the International Emmy Kids Award for best preschool program, following wins for interactive comedy #7DaysLater in 2015 and animated series Doodles in 2016.
The Esa documentary,...
Ludo Studio’s vertical comedy Content and Endemol Shine Australia’s documentary Old People’s Home for 4 Year Olds, both ABC commissions, will fly the flag for Australia at this year’s International Emmy Awards.
Produced by Meg O’Connell and written by Anna Barnes, the comedy starring Charlotte Nicdao as Lucy, an extrovert chasing Internet fame and Gemma Bird Matheson as her best friend Daisy, is nominated for Short-Form Series.
“I love this show so much and I’m so proud of the team,” Ludo Studio’s Daley Pearson said on social media. “This is Ludo’s 4th Emmy [nomination] and I’m so happy for everyone at the studio.”
In April, the Brisbane-based studio’s Bluey won the International Emmy Kids Award for best preschool program, following wins for interactive comedy #7DaysLater in 2015 and animated series Doodles in 2016.
The Esa documentary,...
- 9/24/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Todd Abbott.
Installed as ABC head of comedy in July, Todd Abbott will start evaluating the development materials of the comedy projects that received support under the $5 million Fresh Start Fund this week – and next week he hopes to greenlight development on several projects that he’s already been evaluating.
That’s the good news for Australian producers and creators – tempered by the fact that the broadcaster’s comedy slate for 2021 is fully committed. So the projects that will advance from now on will premiere in 2022.
Given the ABC’s budget constraints, Abbott tells If: “Everyone has had to tighten their belts. My task is to maintain the comedy department’s output and to keep the Wednesday comedy night thriving – and then I’ll try to work out how to do hostile takeovers of the other nights. None of the projects I am looking at now is expected to be...
Installed as ABC head of comedy in July, Todd Abbott will start evaluating the development materials of the comedy projects that received support under the $5 million Fresh Start Fund this week – and next week he hopes to greenlight development on several projects that he’s already been evaluating.
That’s the good news for Australian producers and creators – tempered by the fact that the broadcaster’s comedy slate for 2021 is fully committed. So the projects that will advance from now on will premiere in 2022.
Given the ABC’s budget constraints, Abbott tells If: “Everyone has had to tighten their belts. My task is to maintain the comedy department’s output and to keep the Wednesday comedy night thriving – and then I’ll try to work out how to do hostile takeovers of the other nights. None of the projects I am looking at now is expected to be...
- 9/15/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Todd Abbott.
The ABC has officially announced the appointment of Todd Abbott as head of comedy, succeeding Rick Kalowski who departed the broadcaster in February.
Abbott joined the ABC in July from Guesswork Television, where he was creative director. He has worked with the ABC previously on shows like Rosehaven, Frayed and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.
Most recently for Guesswork, Abbott produced Stan’s pandemic stand-up special, the Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival, and a series of one-hour comedy specials for Amazon Prime Video, including comedians Celia Pacquola, Judith Lucy, Lano & Woodley, Tom Walker and Dilruk Jayasinha.
Abbott’s other credits include The Dream with Roy & Hg, Please Like Me, a reimagining of Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals and Ten’s reboot of Rove, Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey and Micallef Tonight.
At the ABC, he will lead the commissioning and creative execution of comedy programs across multiple platforms.
ABC head of drama,...
The ABC has officially announced the appointment of Todd Abbott as head of comedy, succeeding Rick Kalowski who departed the broadcaster in February.
Abbott joined the ABC in July from Guesswork Television, where he was creative director. He has worked with the ABC previously on shows like Rosehaven, Frayed and The Weekly with Charlie Pickering.
Most recently for Guesswork, Abbott produced Stan’s pandemic stand-up special, the Australian Lockdown Comedy Festival, and a series of one-hour comedy specials for Amazon Prime Video, including comedians Celia Pacquola, Judith Lucy, Lano & Woodley, Tom Walker and Dilruk Jayasinha.
Abbott’s other credits include The Dream with Roy & Hg, Please Like Me, a reimagining of Geoffrey Robertson’s Hypotheticals and Ten’s reboot of Rove, Judith Lucy’s Spiritual Journey and Micallef Tonight.
At the ABC, he will lead the commissioning and creative execution of comedy programs across multiple platforms.
ABC head of drama,...
- 9/3/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Meg O’Connell.
Thanks to Screen Queensland’s Enterprise Funding, Meg O’Connell is adding two execs at her banner Unless Pictures to help drive her slate and grow the business.
One new hire is her frequent collaborator, producer Jackson Lapsley Scott. The other, yet to be chosen, will be a development producer.
The producer/creator/writer is teaming up again with writer Anna Barnes on vertical murder mystery series Apollo under the Snapchat and Screen Australia joint initiative.
O’Connell and Barnes were among the creatives behind the Ludo Studio/ABC iview comedy Content and the ABC’s Retrograde.
Set at an exclusive boarding school for children of the elite, Apollo will be a co-production between Unless Pictures and Kurt Royan and Dan Lake’s Orange Entertainment.
The plot revolves around the murder of the class president, which leads to a spate of killings. A student turned private detective investigates...
Thanks to Screen Queensland’s Enterprise Funding, Meg O’Connell is adding two execs at her banner Unless Pictures to help drive her slate and grow the business.
One new hire is her frequent collaborator, producer Jackson Lapsley Scott. The other, yet to be chosen, will be a development producer.
The producer/creator/writer is teaming up again with writer Anna Barnes on vertical murder mystery series Apollo under the Snapchat and Screen Australia joint initiative.
O’Connell and Barnes were among the creatives behind the Ludo Studio/ABC iview comedy Content and the ABC’s Retrograde.
Set at an exclusive boarding school for children of the elite, Apollo will be a co-production between Unless Pictures and Kurt Royan and Dan Lake’s Orange Entertainment.
The plot revolves around the murder of the class president, which leads to a spate of killings. A student turned private detective investigates...
- 8/31/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Clockwise from top left: Jennifer Peedom, Rachel Okine, Kyas Hepworth and Sue Maslin.
The Natalie Miller Fellowship (Nmf) organisers have appealed for more Indigenous female screen practitioners to apply for the fellowship that provides an annual $20,000 grant for leadership advancement.
Nmf president Sue Maslin lamented the small number of applicants from the Indigenous cohort in a Facebook Live session on Monday with director and Nmf ambassador Jennifer Peedom, Aquarius Films MD Rachel Okine and Nitv acting head Kyas Hepworth.
Established in 2011 to recognise the unique contribution of screen industry pioneer Natalie Miller, the Nmf is open to women with at least five years experience in any screen sector to help them reach their full leadership potential through attachments, internships, secondments and other means.
“We have not had a high level of applications yet from Indigenous women. We really want to make a focus on having Indigenous women applying,” Maslin said.
The Natalie Miller Fellowship (Nmf) organisers have appealed for more Indigenous female screen practitioners to apply for the fellowship that provides an annual $20,000 grant for leadership advancement.
Nmf president Sue Maslin lamented the small number of applicants from the Indigenous cohort in a Facebook Live session on Monday with director and Nmf ambassador Jennifer Peedom, Aquarius Films MD Rachel Okine and Nitv acting head Kyas Hepworth.
Established in 2011 to recognise the unique contribution of screen industry pioneer Natalie Miller, the Nmf is open to women with at least five years experience in any screen sector to help them reach their full leadership potential through attachments, internships, secondments and other means.
“We have not had a high level of applications yet from Indigenous women. We really want to make a focus on having Indigenous women applying,” Maslin said.
- 8/25/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Tony Ayres.
The impact of the devastating bushfires of last summer will be explored in six-part drama The Fires, currently in development at the ABC.
The Tony Ayres Productions (Tap) series is planned as a serialised anthology, inspired by the stories of the people who survived the catastrophe and continue to endure its aftermath.
Each episode will be based around character studies of ordinary people caught in the unimaginable and the impossible choices they were forced to make. These will include volunteer firefighters; families who lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones; people who had to make agonising decisions about whether to stay or flee; and others who found themselves responsible for the lives of friends and strangers.
Working with Ayres in the creative team is Tap head of development Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts. The writing team is led by Belinda Chayko, working with Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.
The impact of the devastating bushfires of last summer will be explored in six-part drama The Fires, currently in development at the ABC.
The Tony Ayres Productions (Tap) series is planned as a serialised anthology, inspired by the stories of the people who survived the catastrophe and continue to endure its aftermath.
Each episode will be based around character studies of ordinary people caught in the unimaginable and the impossible choices they were forced to make. These will include volunteer firefighters; families who lost homes, livelihoods and loved ones; people who had to make agonising decisions about whether to stay or flee; and others who found themselves responsible for the lives of friends and strangers.
Working with Ayres in the creative team is Tap head of development Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts. The writing team is led by Belinda Chayko, working with Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.
- 8/13/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Ben Mendelsohn in ‘Babyteeth’, cast by Kirsty McGregor.
Actor Ben Mendelsohn, casting director Kirsty McGregor, Australian Cinematographers Society (Acs) national president Ron Johanson and the ABC’s Sally Riley are among the Aussies recently invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science (AMPAS).
Other invitees include Dop Nicola Daley, UTA partner Bec Smith and documentary filmmaker Violeta Ayala.
In total, the Oscars body invited 819 people to join its ranks this year, 45 per cent of which were women, 36 per cent from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49 per cent from outside the Us.
The Academy has been on quest to widen its membership base since 2016. In 2015, only 1446 or 25 per cent of its membership base were women, with the figure now at 3179, or 33 per cent. In 2015, only 10 per cent of, or 554, members were people of colour; that now stands at 1787, or 19 per cent.
The organisation has also tripled the number...
Actor Ben Mendelsohn, casting director Kirsty McGregor, Australian Cinematographers Society (Acs) national president Ron Johanson and the ABC’s Sally Riley are among the Aussies recently invited to join the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science (AMPAS).
Other invitees include Dop Nicola Daley, UTA partner Bec Smith and documentary filmmaker Violeta Ayala.
In total, the Oscars body invited 819 people to join its ranks this year, 45 per cent of which were women, 36 per cent from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities, and 49 per cent from outside the Us.
The Academy has been on quest to widen its membership base since 2016. In 2015, only 1446 or 25 per cent of its membership base were women, with the figure now at 3179, or 33 per cent. In 2015, only 10 per cent of, or 554, members were people of colour; that now stands at 1787, or 19 per cent.
The organisation has also tripled the number...
- 7/2/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Erik Thomson.
Closer Productions’ Aftertaste has resumed pre-production for the ABC, preparing to shoot in Adelaide and surrounds over the coming months.
Erik Thomson leads the dramedy as Easton West, an internationally renowned yet volatile celebrity chef whose spectacular fall from grace sees him return to his home town in the Adelaide Hills, where he endeavours to rebuild his career and restore his reputation, with the help of his talented, young, pastry-chef niece.
The series, created Julie de Fina and Matthew Bate, had been due to kick off just before the pandemic.
Bate produces with Thomson and Rebecca Summerton, and he and de Fina wrote the scripts with Matt Vesely. De Fina is the EP, with ABC executive producer Rebecca Anderson. The production office is located in the newly-reopened Adelaide Studios.
As the first project to resume in South Australia, Aftertaste will be a test case for a new risk...
Closer Productions’ Aftertaste has resumed pre-production for the ABC, preparing to shoot in Adelaide and surrounds over the coming months.
Erik Thomson leads the dramedy as Easton West, an internationally renowned yet volatile celebrity chef whose spectacular fall from grace sees him return to his home town in the Adelaide Hills, where he endeavours to rebuild his career and restore his reputation, with the help of his talented, young, pastry-chef niece.
The series, created Julie de Fina and Matthew Bate, had been due to kick off just before the pandemic.
Bate produces with Thomson and Rebecca Summerton, and he and de Fina wrote the scripts with Matt Vesely. De Fina is the EP, with ABC executive producer Rebecca Anderson. The production office is located in the newly-reopened Adelaide Studios.
As the first project to resume in South Australia, Aftertaste will be a test case for a new risk...
- 6/29/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Josie Mason-Campbell.
Josie Mason-Campbell is departing the ABC after three years as head of entertainment and factual amid a management restructure of the content divisions.
Responsibility for entertainment and factual, the genres which are bearing the brunt of the $5 million a year reduction in local commissioning, is being split as part of the measures announced today by ABC MD David Anderson.
The specialist division is being renamed factual and education headed by Aidan Laverty, currently head of specialist.
The drama, comedy and Indigenous unit headed by Sally Riley becomes drama, entertainment and Indigenous, uniting the comedy and entertainment teams.
Michael Carrington, director entertainment and specialist, told If: “Josie has led our entertainment and factual team to great acclaim across award-winning and outstanding programs.
“In recent months, she has also been acting head of distribution, guiding our programming and scheduling across multiple channels to bring high-quality content to audiences when and how they want it.
Josie Mason-Campbell is departing the ABC after three years as head of entertainment and factual amid a management restructure of the content divisions.
Responsibility for entertainment and factual, the genres which are bearing the brunt of the $5 million a year reduction in local commissioning, is being split as part of the measures announced today by ABC MD David Anderson.
The specialist division is being renamed factual and education headed by Aidan Laverty, currently head of specialist.
The drama, comedy and Indigenous unit headed by Sally Riley becomes drama, entertainment and Indigenous, uniting the comedy and entertainment teams.
Michael Carrington, director entertainment and specialist, told If: “Josie has led our entertainment and factual team to great acclaim across award-winning and outstanding programs.
“In recent months, she has also been acting head of distribution, guiding our programming and scheduling across multiple channels to bring high-quality content to audiences when and how they want it.
- 6/24/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Que Minh Luu.
Netflix is signalling a bigger commitment to commissioning Australian productions by hiring Que Minh Luu as director, local originals for Australia.
She will join Netflix in mid-July, based in Sydney, after three and a half years as an executive producer at the ABC, working across drama, comedy and digital content.
Her most recent projects include the six-part isolation-themed comedy Retrograde, Frayed, The Heights, Harrow, Content and Diary of an Uber Driver.
“I’m very excited. There are a lot of opportunities and a lot of stories that have not been told yet,” she told If, indicating she would have more to say after she joins the streamer.
ABC head of scripted production Sally Riley, who hired Luu, said: “Que has been an incredibly important member of the ABC scripted team, bringing an energy and determination to her role that has lifted our content to greater heights.
“She...
Netflix is signalling a bigger commitment to commissioning Australian productions by hiring Que Minh Luu as director, local originals for Australia.
She will join Netflix in mid-July, based in Sydney, after three and a half years as an executive producer at the ABC, working across drama, comedy and digital content.
Her most recent projects include the six-part isolation-themed comedy Retrograde, Frayed, The Heights, Harrow, Content and Diary of an Uber Driver.
“I’m very excited. There are a lot of opportunities and a lot of stories that have not been told yet,” she told If, indicating she would have more to say after she joins the streamer.
ABC head of scripted production Sally Riley, who hired Luu, said: “Que has been an incredibly important member of the ABC scripted team, bringing an energy and determination to her role that has lifted our content to greater heights.
“She...
- 6/19/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Pallavi Sharda, Ilai Swindells and Maria Angelico.
The ABC has ordered a six-part narrative comedy from Unless Pictures and Orange Entertainment centred on Covid-19 isolation, due to start filming – remotely – this month before airing in July.
Titled Retrograde, the series follows the lives of a group of 30-something friends, as they drown their sorrows at a ‘virtual bar’ during the pandemic. It will star Pallavi Sharda, Ilai Swindells, Maria Angelico, Esther Hannaford and Nick Boshier, with guest star Ronny Chieng.
The cast will film from their respective locations, activated by remote technical operators and working with an overarching technical director, as they record a group video chat that forms the central storyline. In addition to the main eps, there will be extended digital content to deepen audience engagement.
The full synopsis: “Gemma is about to embark on an exciting career in Korea when Covid-19 crashes her farewell party. Faster than...
The ABC has ordered a six-part narrative comedy from Unless Pictures and Orange Entertainment centred on Covid-19 isolation, due to start filming – remotely – this month before airing in July.
Titled Retrograde, the series follows the lives of a group of 30-something friends, as they drown their sorrows at a ‘virtual bar’ during the pandemic. It will star Pallavi Sharda, Ilai Swindells, Maria Angelico, Esther Hannaford and Nick Boshier, with guest star Ronny Chieng.
The cast will film from their respective locations, activated by remote technical operators and working with an overarching technical director, as they record a group video chat that forms the central storyline. In addition to the main eps, there will be extended digital content to deepen audience engagement.
The full synopsis: “Gemma is about to embark on an exciting career in Korea when Covid-19 crashes her farewell party. Faster than...
- 6/10/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
ITV’s youth channel ITV2 is going to fill the huge Love Island-shaped gap in its schedule by showing the Australian version of the reality show.
Love Island: Australia will premiere later this month after the ITV Studios format aired on Nine Network in Oz last year. It follows ITV having to cancel the summer season of Love Island due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Australian version is filmed at Love Island‘s villa in Mallorca and is hosted by Sophie Monk and narrated by Eoghan McDermott. It features singletons trying to secure a love match to win a $50,000 Aus cash prize.
The 2019 summer season of Love Island premiered on ITV2 on June 3, meaning that the 2020 version would likely have launched this week had it gone ahead. In the end, filming during the Covid-19 outbreak proved too complicated.
In other Australian TV news, BBC One has acquired ABC...
Love Island: Australia will premiere later this month after the ITV Studios format aired on Nine Network in Oz last year. It follows ITV having to cancel the summer season of Love Island due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Australian version is filmed at Love Island‘s villa in Mallorca and is hosted by Sophie Monk and narrated by Eoghan McDermott. It features singletons trying to secure a love match to win a $50,000 Aus cash prize.
The 2019 summer season of Love Island premiered on ITV2 on June 3, meaning that the 2020 version would likely have launched this week had it gone ahead. In the end, filming during the Covid-19 outbreak proved too complicated.
In other Australian TV news, BBC One has acquired ABC...
- 6/3/2020
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Sally Riley takes a selfie while working from home.
ABC head of scripted production Sally Riley sheds light on her latest commissions, explains how the broadcaster is coping with the drama production shutdown and gives an update on her development slate.
Q: Last month you commissioned Entitled from Kitty Flanagan and Porclight Films and The Newsreader from Michael Lucas and Werner Film Productions. What grabbed you about both?
A: Both of these projects have relationships and family at their heart. With Entitled, Kitty Flanagan is a big draw for us and audiences love her and we are very happy that the ABC is her broadcaster of choice for her first narrative show. What grabbed me is how Entitled deals with families that are coping with grief and dealing with probate issues – which I know from personal experience is a very tricky time, when families can either come together or implode,...
ABC head of scripted production Sally Riley sheds light on her latest commissions, explains how the broadcaster is coping with the drama production shutdown and gives an update on her development slate.
Q: Last month you commissioned Entitled from Kitty Flanagan and Porclight Films and The Newsreader from Michael Lucas and Werner Film Productions. What grabbed you about both?
A: Both of these projects have relationships and family at their heart. With Entitled, Kitty Flanagan is a big draw for us and audiences love her and we are very happy that the ABC is her broadcaster of choice for her first narrative show. What grabbed me is how Entitled deals with families that are coping with grief and dealing with probate issues – which I know from personal experience is a very tricky time, when families can either come together or implode,...
- 5/13/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Wakefield’.
British actor Rudi Dharmalingam, Mandy McElhinney and Geraldine Hakewill lead the cast of newly-announced ABC drama Wakefield, now shooting across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands.
Produced by Jungle Entertainment in partnership with BBC Studios, the eight-parter created by Kristen Dunphy is set in a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital, and described as a psychological mystery exploring the fine line between sanity and madness.
At the show’s centre is Dharmalingham’s Nik, a gifted psych nurse, blessed with a powerful combination of common sense and intuition. Nik is easily the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place. But when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present, forming an intriguing puzzle that comes together as the series builds to its heart wrenching conclusion.
Starring alongside is an impressive ensemble cast including Dan Wyllie, Harriet Dyer,...
British actor Rudi Dharmalingam, Mandy McElhinney and Geraldine Hakewill lead the cast of newly-announced ABC drama Wakefield, now shooting across Sydney, the Blue Mountains and the Southern Highlands.
Produced by Jungle Entertainment in partnership with BBC Studios, the eight-parter created by Kristen Dunphy is set in a Blue Mountains psychiatric hospital, and described as a psychological mystery exploring the fine line between sanity and madness.
At the show’s centre is Dharmalingham’s Nik, a gifted psych nurse, blessed with a powerful combination of common sense and intuition. Nik is easily the sanest person in what is a pretty crazy place. But when a song gets stuck in his head, a dark secret from his past begins to intrude into his present, forming an intriguing puzzle that comes together as the series builds to its heart wrenching conclusion.
Starring alongside is an impressive ensemble cast including Dan Wyllie, Harriet Dyer,...
- 2/12/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
‘Rosehaven’s’ Luke McGregor (l) and Celia Pacquola with Rick Kalowski.
In six-and-a-half years as head of comedy at the ABC, Rick Kalowski oversaw a number of series which he believes could have found homes at the commercial free-to-air networks – if they had been offered to them.
“The ABC does an incredible job as the driver of Australian scripted comedy but I truly see no reason why, with the right projects, the love can’t be spread,” he tells If.
Rosehaven would have been a comfortable fit for the Nine or Ten Networks, he thinks, while Frayed would have suited Nine, albeit, he notes, perhaps with some of the fruitier bad language toned down.
The Letdown might have been a good match for Ten’s demographic while Ronny Chieng: International Student could have fulfilled Sbs’s remit..
Given the ratings success of several ABC comedies, Kalowski, who steps down this Friday,...
In six-and-a-half years as head of comedy at the ABC, Rick Kalowski oversaw a number of series which he believes could have found homes at the commercial free-to-air networks – if they had been offered to them.
“The ABC does an incredible job as the driver of Australian scripted comedy but I truly see no reason why, with the right projects, the love can’t be spread,” he tells If.
Rosehaven would have been a comfortable fit for the Nine or Ten Networks, he thinks, while Frayed would have suited Nine, albeit, he notes, perhaps with some of the fruitier bad language toned down.
The Letdown might have been a good match for Ten’s demographic while Ronny Chieng: International Student could have fulfilled Sbs’s remit..
Given the ratings success of several ABC comedies, Kalowski, who steps down this Friday,...
- 1/27/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Stateless.’
The ABC today released its 72-page 2020-2022 content plan, essentially a restatement of its core values and goals which also stresses the need to engage with new and younger audiences.
The broadcaster lists its priorities over the next three years as being relevant to all Australians; delivering distinctive, public benefit content that engages mass audiences, builds national conversations and creates meaningful change; increasing the diversity of content and the people making it; and to push boundaries and take risks.
Typifying the spirit of the content plan, Sally Riley, head of drama, comedy and Indigenous, says: “In all our content we first and foremost want to entertain and surprise audiences, but it’s really important to me and my team that we engage them emotionally – that’s how you change hearts and minds. We are constantly looking for ways to defy expectations of our content and the ABC”.
The in-house...
The ABC today released its 72-page 2020-2022 content plan, essentially a restatement of its core values and goals which also stresses the need to engage with new and younger audiences.
The broadcaster lists its priorities over the next three years as being relevant to all Australians; delivering distinctive, public benefit content that engages mass audiences, builds national conversations and creates meaningful change; increasing the diversity of content and the people making it; and to push boundaries and take risks.
Typifying the spirit of the content plan, Sally Riley, head of drama, comedy and Indigenous, says: “In all our content we first and foremost want to entertain and surprise audiences, but it’s really important to me and my team that we engage them emotionally – that’s how you change hearts and minds. We are constantly looking for ways to defy expectations of our content and the ABC”.
The in-house...
- 12/11/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Rick Kalowski.
The ABC’s highly respected head of comedy Rick Kalowski today announced his resignation after more than six years in the post.
After commissioning and overseeing the production of 80 titles, spanning pilots, series, digital content and podcasts, the executive tells If he is exhausted and needs a break.
He will stay in place until February to give the ABC ample time to recruit a successor and will pursue new career opportunities in the Australian and global screen industry. He’s having discussions about his next move but nothing is locked in.
Arguably he will step down after one of the ABC’s most distinctive and successful years in comedy, with hits such as Frayed, the fourth season of Utopia, the second of Squinters and the finales of Get Krack!n and The Letdown.
Among other shows produced under his watch, including several commissioned by his predecessor Debbie Lee, were Rosehaven,...
The ABC’s highly respected head of comedy Rick Kalowski today announced his resignation after more than six years in the post.
After commissioning and overseeing the production of 80 titles, spanning pilots, series, digital content and podcasts, the executive tells If he is exhausted and needs a break.
He will stay in place until February to give the ABC ample time to recruit a successor and will pursue new career opportunities in the Australian and global screen industry. He’s having discussions about his next move but nothing is locked in.
Arguably he will step down after one of the ABC’s most distinctive and successful years in comedy, with hits such as Frayed, the fourth season of Utopia, the second of Squinters and the finales of Get Krack!n and The Letdown.
Among other shows produced under his watch, including several commissioned by his predecessor Debbie Lee, were Rosehaven,...
- 12/11/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Exclusive: Ioan Gruffudd is to move into directing for the first time on crime drama Harrow after the ABC Studios International-produced series was picked up for a third season.
The Welsh actor, who previously starred in U.S. drama Forever, will direct an episode of the third season for Australian public broadcaster ABC.
He joins the likes of Tony Tilse (Ash Vs Evil Dead), Grant Brown (Reef Break), Catherine Millar (Farscape), Mairi Cameron (The Second) and Peter Andrikidis (Reckoning) in directing.
Disney’s ABC Studios International produces in association with Hoodlum. It airs on Hulu in the U.S.
The is co-created by Secrets & Lies writer Stephen M. Irwin and producer Leigh McGrath and written by Irwin. Harrow tells the story of Dr. Daniel Harrow (Gruffudd), who is no ordinary forensic pathologist. Brilliant. Unorthodox. And a murderer? Harrow’s total disregard for authority and his unfailing empathy for...
The Welsh actor, who previously starred in U.S. drama Forever, will direct an episode of the third season for Australian public broadcaster ABC.
He joins the likes of Tony Tilse (Ash Vs Evil Dead), Grant Brown (Reef Break), Catherine Millar (Farscape), Mairi Cameron (The Second) and Peter Andrikidis (Reckoning) in directing.
Disney’s ABC Studios International produces in association with Hoodlum. It airs on Hulu in the U.S.
The is co-created by Secrets & Lies writer Stephen M. Irwin and producer Leigh McGrath and written by Irwin. Harrow tells the story of Dr. Daniel Harrow (Gruffudd), who is no ordinary forensic pathologist. Brilliant. Unorthodox. And a murderer? Harrow’s total disregard for authority and his unfailing empathy for...
- 10/10/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Ioan Gruffudd in Harrow season 2.
Ioan Gruffudd is set to make his directing debut on season 3 of the ABC’s Harrow, which starts shooting next month in Brisbane and South-East Queensland.
The Welsh-born actor joins the roster of directors alongside Tony Tilse, Grant Brown, Catherine Millar, Mairi Cameron and Peter Andrikidis.
The new series follows Gruffudd’s forensic pathologist Doctor Daniel Harrow as he investigates the death of a young man who claimed to his son and gets entangled in a dangerous criminal underworld.
Hoodlum’s Tracey Robertson and Nathan Mayfield continue as the producers, with funding from the ABC, Disney’s ABC Studios and Screen Queensland. The 10 episodes are again being written by co-creators Stephen M. Irwin and Leigh McGrath and Michaeley O’Brien.
Faustina Agolley, who guest starred in the second series, joins the cast of regulars with Jolene Anderson (Dr Grace Molyneux), Damien Garvey (Detective Sergeant Bryan Nichols...
Ioan Gruffudd is set to make his directing debut on season 3 of the ABC’s Harrow, which starts shooting next month in Brisbane and South-East Queensland.
The Welsh-born actor joins the roster of directors alongside Tony Tilse, Grant Brown, Catherine Millar, Mairi Cameron and Peter Andrikidis.
The new series follows Gruffudd’s forensic pathologist Doctor Daniel Harrow as he investigates the death of a young man who claimed to his son and gets entangled in a dangerous criminal underworld.
Hoodlum’s Tracey Robertson and Nathan Mayfield continue as the producers, with funding from the ABC, Disney’s ABC Studios and Screen Queensland. The 10 episodes are again being written by co-creators Stephen M. Irwin and Leigh McGrath and Michaeley O’Brien.
Faustina Agolley, who guest starred in the second series, joins the cast of regulars with Jolene Anderson (Dr Grace Molyneux), Damien Garvey (Detective Sergeant Bryan Nichols...
- 10/10/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
The cast of ‘The Heights’ season 2 (Photo credit: Ben King).
Backed by Screen Australia, the second season of the ABC’s ground-breaking drama serial The Heights will start shooting in Perth on August 26, providing more opportunities for emerging directors, writers and actors.
Jub Clerc, whose short Storytime is featured in the horror anthology Dark Whispers – Volume 1 curated by Megan Riakos and Leonie Marsh, and Kelli Cross (Aussie Rangers) are joining the cohort of directors under the production’s mentorship program.
They will be mentored by Karl Zwicky, alongside another addition in Tenika Smith (Neighbours) and Renée Webster, who made her TV drama directing debut on the first season.
Season one writers Romina Accurso, Hannah Carroll Chapman, Megan Palinkas, Peter Mattessi, Dot West, Magda Wozniak, the showrunner/co-creator Warren Clarke and Katie Beckett return.
They are joined by recruits Tim Williams, Nora Niasari, Nayuka Gorrie, Cassandra Nguyen, Jane Allen, Alex Cullen,...
Backed by Screen Australia, the second season of the ABC’s ground-breaking drama serial The Heights will start shooting in Perth on August 26, providing more opportunities for emerging directors, writers and actors.
Jub Clerc, whose short Storytime is featured in the horror anthology Dark Whispers – Volume 1 curated by Megan Riakos and Leonie Marsh, and Kelli Cross (Aussie Rangers) are joining the cohort of directors under the production’s mentorship program.
They will be mentored by Karl Zwicky, alongside another addition in Tenika Smith (Neighbours) and Renée Webster, who made her TV drama directing debut on the first season.
Season one writers Romina Accurso, Hannah Carroll Chapman, Megan Palinkas, Peter Mattessi, Dot West, Magda Wozniak, the showrunner/co-creator Warren Clarke and Katie Beckett return.
They are joined by recruits Tim Williams, Nora Niasari, Nayuka Gorrie, Cassandra Nguyen, Jane Allen, Alex Cullen,...
- 8/19/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
(L-r) Ewen Leslie, Shaka Cook and Jessica de Gouw.
Production is about to begin on Porchlight Films’ Fallout (working title) for the ABC, a six-part drama inspired by the 1950s British nuclear testing that took place in outback South Australia. Written and directed by Peter Duncan (Rake), the project has attracted a strong cast including Ewen Leslie, Jessica de Gouw, James Cromwell, Ningali Lawford Wolf and Shaka Cook.
Fallout is set in 1956, at the height of the Cold War, when the Menzies Government has welcomed British atomic bomb testing at remote, ‘uninhabited’ Maralinga, in outback South Australia.
Leslie plays Major Leo Carmichael (Leslie), an Australian Army engineer and WWII hero, who is charged with keeping the base functioning smoothly. But testing the most dangerous weapon in the world is no easy task for Leo with a commanding officer (Cromwell) who is not fit for purpose; a new meteorologist, Dr Eva...
Production is about to begin on Porchlight Films’ Fallout (working title) for the ABC, a six-part drama inspired by the 1950s British nuclear testing that took place in outback South Australia. Written and directed by Peter Duncan (Rake), the project has attracted a strong cast including Ewen Leslie, Jessica de Gouw, James Cromwell, Ningali Lawford Wolf and Shaka Cook.
Fallout is set in 1956, at the height of the Cold War, when the Menzies Government has welcomed British atomic bomb testing at remote, ‘uninhabited’ Maralinga, in outback South Australia.
Leslie plays Major Leo Carmichael (Leslie), an Australian Army engineer and WWII hero, who is charged with keeping the base functioning smoothly. But testing the most dangerous weapon in the world is no easy task for Leo with a commanding officer (Cromwell) who is not fit for purpose; a new meteorologist, Dr Eva...
- 7/31/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Aaron Pedersen and Jada Alberts in ‘Mystery Road 2’ (Photo: David Dare Parker).
Swedish actress Sofia Helin, who starred in all four seasons of The Bridge, is co-starring with Aaron Pedersen in the second series of Bunya Productions’ ABC crime drama Mystery Road.
Helin, who played Saga Norén, a homicide detective from Malmö, in the Swedish/Danish film noir crime series which screened here on Sbs, is cast as archaeologist Professor Sondra Elmquist.
The professor is conducting a dig near a remote coastal town when she encounters Pedersen’s Detective Jay Swan, who has moved to the town to be closer to his family and is investigating a grisly case.
Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair are sharing the directing duties on the six episodes produced by David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, with Thornton as the Dop.
Two weeks into the 10 weeks shoot in Broome and the Dampier Peninsular, the series is...
Swedish actress Sofia Helin, who starred in all four seasons of The Bridge, is co-starring with Aaron Pedersen in the second series of Bunya Productions’ ABC crime drama Mystery Road.
Helin, who played Saga Norén, a homicide detective from Malmö, in the Swedish/Danish film noir crime series which screened here on Sbs, is cast as archaeologist Professor Sondra Elmquist.
The professor is conducting a dig near a remote coastal town when she encounters Pedersen’s Detective Jay Swan, who has moved to the town to be closer to his family and is investigating a grisly case.
Warwick Thornton and Wayne Blair are sharing the directing duties on the six episodes produced by David Jowsey and Greer Simpkin, with Thornton as the Dop.
Two weeks into the 10 weeks shoot in Broome and the Dampier Peninsular, the series is...
- 7/24/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
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