Exclusive: Here’s your first look at Stan’s upcoming mega-church drama Prosper.
The Lionsgate family drama stars Richard Roxburgh (Rake, Elvis, Stan Original Series Bali 2002) as Cal Quinn, the founder and global pastor of one of the fastest growing megachurches in the world, and Rebecca Gibney, as his wife Abi Quinn.
Stan says the show, which we first revealed in March, takes a “provocative peek behind the curtain of power and privilege.”
The ensemble cast includes Ewen Leslie (Stan Original Series Bali 2002, The Stranger), Ming-Zhu Hii (La Brea, Peter Rabbit), Jacob Collins-Levy (Stan Original Film True History of the Kelly Gang, The Witcher: Blood Origin), Hayley McCarthy, Jordi Webber (Nomad, Deadlands, Power Ranger) Jacek Koman (Moulin Rouge!, Children of Men, Rake), Andrea Solonge (Class of ’07, Privileged), Brigid Zengeni (Stan Original Series Totally Completely Fine, The Secret She Keeps), Alex Fitzalan (The Wilds, Slender Man) and Alexander D’Souza.
The Lionsgate family drama stars Richard Roxburgh (Rake, Elvis, Stan Original Series Bali 2002) as Cal Quinn, the founder and global pastor of one of the fastest growing megachurches in the world, and Rebecca Gibney, as his wife Abi Quinn.
Stan says the show, which we first revealed in March, takes a “provocative peek behind the curtain of power and privilege.”
The ensemble cast includes Ewen Leslie (Stan Original Series Bali 2002, The Stranger), Ming-Zhu Hii (La Brea, Peter Rabbit), Jacob Collins-Levy (Stan Original Film True History of the Kelly Gang, The Witcher: Blood Origin), Hayley McCarthy, Jordi Webber (Nomad, Deadlands, Power Ranger) Jacek Koman (Moulin Rouge!, Children of Men, Rake), Andrea Solonge (Class of ’07, Privileged), Brigid Zengeni (Stan Original Series Totally Completely Fine, The Secret She Keeps), Alex Fitzalan (The Wilds, Slender Man) and Alexander D’Souza.
- 10/16/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Richard Roxburgh and Rebecca Gibney star in Prosper, a Lionsgate-Stan series about a family with huge wealth that builds a powerful mega-church. Production has now started in Sydney, Australia.
First announced in September last year, “Prosper” follows the founding family of an Australian church as it is poised to break into the U.S. and harvest yet more wealth and power. But, while preaching a message of faith, love and acceptance to their followers, behind closed doors the Quinn the family is protecting shameful secrets.
Roxburgh portrays Cal Quinn, founder and global pastor at U Star. Gibney plays as Abi Quinn, his wife and worship leader. In his breakthrough role, Alexander D’Souza plays Moses, the adopted son of Cal and Abi.
Prosper is produced by Lingo Pictures, part of ITV Studios, with major production investment from Screen Australia with the assistance of the New South Wales government via Screen Nsw...
First announced in September last year, “Prosper” follows the founding family of an Australian church as it is poised to break into the U.S. and harvest yet more wealth and power. But, while preaching a message of faith, love and acceptance to their followers, behind closed doors the Quinn the family is protecting shameful secrets.
Roxburgh portrays Cal Quinn, founder and global pastor at U Star. Gibney plays as Abi Quinn, his wife and worship leader. In his breakthrough role, Alexander D’Souza plays Moses, the adopted son of Cal and Abi.
Prosper is produced by Lingo Pictures, part of ITV Studios, with major production investment from Screen Australia with the assistance of the New South Wales government via Screen Nsw...
- 3/31/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Richard Roxburgh and Rebecca Gibney will front Stan and Lionsgate’s Australian drama series Prosper.
The pair will lead the cast of the Lingo Pictures show, which is billed as an epic family drama that takes a “provocative peek behind the curtain of power and privilege.”
Production is underway in New South Wales, Australia, with a pic of the first episode’s scripted revealing it will be called ‘Man of God’ (see below).
Roxburgh will play Cal Quinn, the founder and global pastor of fictional Sydney megachurch U Star, and Gibney is Abi Quinn, his wife and worship leader. Their powerful megachurch is one of Australia’s fastest growing and on the precipice of a lucrative American expansion. While the family preaches messages of faith, love and acceptance to thousands of followers, behind closed doors, the they protect shameful secrets.
The pair will lead the cast of the Lingo Pictures show, which is billed as an epic family drama that takes a “provocative peek behind the curtain of power and privilege.”
Production is underway in New South Wales, Australia, with a pic of the first episode’s scripted revealing it will be called ‘Man of God’ (see below).
Roxburgh will play Cal Quinn, the founder and global pastor of fictional Sydney megachurch U Star, and Gibney is Abi Quinn, his wife and worship leader. Their powerful megachurch is one of Australia’s fastest growing and on the precipice of a lucrative American expansion. While the family preaches messages of faith, love and acceptance to thousands of followers, behind closed doors, the they protect shameful secrets.
- 3/29/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Australian streaming service Stan and production and content studio Lionsgate have commissioned a new original drama series “Prosper.”
“Prosper” will be produced by Lingo Pictures and benefits from major production investment from Screen Australia, with additional assistance from the New South Wales government via Screen Nsw and the Made in Nsw Fund.
The series is part of the ongoing television development partnership for Stan Originals to deliver worldwide content for Lionsgate.
It will be set in the inner sanctum of a family bound together by unfathomable wealth and unchecked power as they build an evangelical megachurch hell-bent on global domination, Stan said.
Matt Cameron (“Jack Irish”), Liz Doran (“Please Like Me”), Louise Fox (“Broadchurch”) and Belinda Chayko (“Stateless”) are writers on the project. Jason Stephens (“Lambs of God”) and Helen Bowden (“The Secret She Keeps”) are producers for Lingo Pictures, alongside Andrew Walker (“Rosehaven”). Cailah Scobie and Amanda Duthie will executive produce for Stan.
“Prosper” will be produced by Lingo Pictures and benefits from major production investment from Screen Australia, with additional assistance from the New South Wales government via Screen Nsw and the Made in Nsw Fund.
The series is part of the ongoing television development partnership for Stan Originals to deliver worldwide content for Lionsgate.
It will be set in the inner sanctum of a family bound together by unfathomable wealth and unchecked power as they build an evangelical megachurch hell-bent on global domination, Stan said.
Matt Cameron (“Jack Irish”), Liz Doran (“Please Like Me”), Louise Fox (“Broadchurch”) and Belinda Chayko (“Stateless”) are writers on the project. Jason Stephens (“Lambs of God”) and Helen Bowden (“The Secret She Keeps”) are producers for Lingo Pictures, alongside Andrew Walker (“Rosehaven”). Cailah Scobie and Amanda Duthie will executive produce for Stan.
- 9/28/2022
- by Vivienne Kelly
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: German public broadcaster’s latest drama is to be a remake of the 2019 Australian thriller mini-series Safe Harbour after a deal with distributor NBCUniversal Formats.
Titled Liberame – Nach dem Sturm (Liberame – After the Storm), the drama is set around a sailing trip on the Mediterranean, an overcrowded refugee boat and a catastrophe that changes the lives of everyone.
All episodes will be available to stream on streaming service ZDFmediathek on July 30and will begin broadcasting on Zdf on August 29.
The original show was produced for Australian cultural broadcaster Sbs and came from Universal International Studios’ Sydney-based producer Matchbox Pictures.
Here’s a synopsis for the Zdf remake: “Jan (Friedrich Mücke) and Caro (Johanna Wokalek) are on a sailing trip on the Mediterranean Sea with Jan’s sister (Natalia Belitski), her friend Daniel (Marc Benjamin) and Helene (Ina Weisse) when they encounter a broken-down boat with refugees in distress. The...
Titled Liberame – Nach dem Sturm (Liberame – After the Storm), the drama is set around a sailing trip on the Mediterranean, an overcrowded refugee boat and a catastrophe that changes the lives of everyone.
All episodes will be available to stream on streaming service ZDFmediathek on July 30and will begin broadcasting on Zdf on August 29.
The original show was produced for Australian cultural broadcaster Sbs and came from Universal International Studios’ Sydney-based producer Matchbox Pictures.
Here’s a synopsis for the Zdf remake: “Jan (Friedrich Mücke) and Caro (Johanna Wokalek) are on a sailing trip on the Mediterranean Sea with Jan’s sister (Natalia Belitski), her friend Daniel (Marc Benjamin) and Helene (Ina Weisse) when they encounter a broken-down boat with refugees in distress. The...
- 6/15/2022
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Australian streaming service Stan has struck a television development alliance with Hollywood mini-studio Lionsgate. The deal is in addition to the content supply agreement that the pair hatched last year.
Stan and Lionsgate announced the megachurch family drama series “Prosper,” drama series “The Geography of Friendship” and outback comedy crime series “Population: 11” as the first three titles to flow from their development deal.
Separately, Stan announced an expansion of its originals-production activity with other partners and suppliers in Australia. The company says that the new slates put it “on track to deliver 30% of its premium first-run slate from original productions.”
The local slate includes: drama series “Black Snow,” a cold case mystery series set in Far North Queensland; “Last Light,” starring Matthew Fox and Joanne Froggatt; and “The Jump,” a series about the power of friendship and the ways our sadness can unite us.
Also announced is the absurdist comedy feature film “Nude Tuesday,...
Stan and Lionsgate announced the megachurch family drama series “Prosper,” drama series “The Geography of Friendship” and outback comedy crime series “Population: 11” as the first three titles to flow from their development deal.
Separately, Stan announced an expansion of its originals-production activity with other partners and suppliers in Australia. The company says that the new slates put it “on track to deliver 30% of its premium first-run slate from original productions.”
The local slate includes: drama series “Black Snow,” a cold case mystery series set in Far North Queensland; “Last Light,” starring Matthew Fox and Joanne Froggatt; and “The Jump,” a series about the power of friendship and the ways our sadness can unite us.
Also announced is the absurdist comedy feature film “Nude Tuesday,...
- 3/23/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
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
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
Six-part anthology series Fires, about the experiences of everyday people at the frontline of the 2019-2020 bushfires, will premiere on Sunday, 26 September, 8.40pm on ABC TV and ABC iview.
Filmed in Melbourne and regional Victoria earlier this year, the Tony Ayres Productions drama goes behind the images and the headlines to touch on the stories of people directly affected by the fires.
The series begins in Queensland in September 2019, at the start of the fire season, and continues as the fires make their deadly march south, burning out of control through Nsw and Victoria until February 2020. Each episode is set in a different location as the fires spread and build to a terrifying onslaught across the country through Christmas and New Year.
As the fires grow in intensity and ferocity and threaten different communities, new characters appear, whose stories reflect the breadth of experience during Australia’s black summer.
Bringing...
Filmed in Melbourne and regional Victoria earlier this year, the Tony Ayres Productions drama goes behind the images and the headlines to touch on the stories of people directly affected by the fires.
The series begins in Queensland in September 2019, at the start of the fire season, and continues as the fires make their deadly march south, burning out of control through Nsw and Victoria until February 2020. Each episode is set in a different location as the fires spread and build to a terrifying onslaught across the country through Christmas and New Year.
As the fires grow in intensity and ferocity and threaten different communities, new characters appear, whose stories reflect the breadth of experience during Australia’s black summer.
Bringing...
- 8/30/2021
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Leading producers Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko have assembled an extraordinary Australian cast for Fires, a drama series that presents personal tales from the front lines of the country’s recent catastrophic fire season.
The series, which is now shooting in Victoria state is produced by NBCUniversal -backed Tony Ayres Productions and Matchbox Pictures. Australian Broadcasting Corporation is on board as local broadcaster. International rights are handled by NBCUniversal Global Distribution.
The project is helmed by three leading film directors: Michael Rymer, Ana Kokkinos and Kim Mordaunt.
The ensemble cast includes: Eliza Scanlen, Sam Worthington, Richard Roxburgh, Sullivan Stapleton, Miranda Otto (“Homeland”), Hunter Page-Lochard, Anna Torv, Kate Box, Helana Sawires, Daniel Henshall and Noni Hazlehurst.
They are joined by newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.
Fires” is structured as an anthology that weaves character studies inspired by true stories into a narrative about the Australian bushfires of 2019-...
The series, which is now shooting in Victoria state is produced by NBCUniversal -backed Tony Ayres Productions and Matchbox Pictures. Australian Broadcasting Corporation is on board as local broadcaster. International rights are handled by NBCUniversal Global Distribution.
The project is helmed by three leading film directors: Michael Rymer, Ana Kokkinos and Kim Mordaunt.
The ensemble cast includes: Eliza Scanlen, Sam Worthington, Richard Roxburgh, Sullivan Stapleton, Miranda Otto (“Homeland”), Hunter Page-Lochard, Anna Torv, Kate Box, Helana Sawires, Daniel Henshall and Noni Hazlehurst.
They are joined by newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.
Fires” is structured as an anthology that weaves character studies inspired by true stories into a narrative about the Australian bushfires of 2019-...
- 4/9/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
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
Exclusive: Australian drama series Fires has put together its cast.
The series, created by Stateless creator Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, has put together an ensemble cast featuring Eliza Scanlen (Sharp Objects), Sam Worthington (Avatar), Richard Roxburgh (The Crown), Sullivan Stapleton (Blindspot), Miranda Otto (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Hunter Page-Lochard (Harrow), Anna Torv (Mindhunter), Kate Box (Stateless), Helana Sawires (Stateless), Daniel Henshall (Defending Jacob) and Noni Hazlehurst (A Place to Call Home).
They are joined by newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.
The six-part series, which is inspired by extraordinary accounts from people who survived the catastrophic fire season in Australia of late 2019 and early 2020, will air on ABC in Australia and NBCUniversal Global Distribution is handling international sales.
It is produced by NBCU-backed Tony Ayres Productions and written by showrunner Chayko, Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.
Executive Producers include Tony Ayres, Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts.
The series, created by Stateless creator Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, has put together an ensemble cast featuring Eliza Scanlen (Sharp Objects), Sam Worthington (Avatar), Richard Roxburgh (The Crown), Sullivan Stapleton (Blindspot), Miranda Otto (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina), Hunter Page-Lochard (Harrow), Anna Torv (Mindhunter), Kate Box (Stateless), Helana Sawires (Stateless), Daniel Henshall (Defending Jacob) and Noni Hazlehurst (A Place to Call Home).
They are joined by newcomers Ameshol Ajang, Stacy Clausen and Nyawuda Chuol.
The six-part series, which is inspired by extraordinary accounts from people who survived the catastrophic fire season in Australia of late 2019 and early 2020, will air on ABC in Australia and NBCUniversal Global Distribution is handling international sales.
It is produced by NBCU-backed Tony Ayres Productions and written by showrunner Chayko, Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.
Executive Producers include Tony Ayres, Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts.
- 4/9/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Following on from their collaboration on Stateless and the upcoming ABC drama Fires, Liz Watts has signed an overall television deal with Matchbox Pictures.
The deal will see the NBC Universal-owned company work with Watts to develop and produce high-end television projects for the Australian and global market.
Watts was an executive producer on Matchbox’s Stateless for the ABC/Netflix, and is also serving as executive producer on Fires, a six-part anthology co-created by Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, drawing on the experiences of those who had their lives devastated by last summer’s bushfires. The series is expected to into production later this year, from scripts penned by Chayko, Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.
Matchbox MD Alastair McKinnon said: “Liz’s incredible skill set and wealth of experience across film and TV make her the perfect addition to the exceptional talent we have at Matchbox.
The deal will see the NBC Universal-owned company work with Watts to develop and produce high-end television projects for the Australian and global market.
Watts was an executive producer on Matchbox’s Stateless for the ABC/Netflix, and is also serving as executive producer on Fires, a six-part anthology co-created by Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko, drawing on the experiences of those who had their lives devastated by last summer’s bushfires. The series is expected to into production later this year, from scripts penned by Chayko, Jacquelin Perske, Mirrah Foulkes, Steven McGregor and Anya Beyersdorf.
Matchbox MD Alastair McKinnon said: “Liz’s incredible skill set and wealth of experience across film and TV make her the perfect addition to the exceptional talent we have at Matchbox.
- 3/31/2021
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Liz Watts, exec producer of Netflix’s Cate Blanchett drama Stateless, has struck an overall deal with NBCUniversal International Studios’s Matchbox Pictures.
Watts, who is currently exec producing Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko’s Australian megafires series Fires for Australian public broadcaster ABC, will develop and produce scripted series with The Slap producer.
Stateless launched on the streamer last year after its debut on Australia’s ABC. Watts’s other TV and film credits include miniseries The Kettering Incident, the Oscar-nominated Animal Kingdom, which was the basis for the TNT drama, The King for Netflix starring Timothée Chalamet, The True History of the Kelly Gang from director Justin Kurzel and starring Russell Crowe, and Cate Shortland’s Lore.
Watts’ feature development slate will remain outside of the deal.
Watts said, “I couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership and to be working more closely with the team at Matchbox.
Watts, who is currently exec producing Tony Ayres and Belinda Chayko’s Australian megafires series Fires for Australian public broadcaster ABC, will develop and produce scripted series with The Slap producer.
Stateless launched on the streamer last year after its debut on Australia’s ABC. Watts’s other TV and film credits include miniseries The Kettering Incident, the Oscar-nominated Animal Kingdom, which was the basis for the TNT drama, The King for Netflix starring Timothée Chalamet, The True History of the Kelly Gang from director Justin Kurzel and starring Russell Crowe, and Cate Shortland’s Lore.
Watts’ feature development slate will remain outside of the deal.
Watts said, “I couldn’t be more excited about this new partnership and to be working more closely with the team at Matchbox.
- 3/31/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Two feature films, three TV dramas, one children’s series, and one online project will share in $5.9 million of production funding from Screen Australia.
The projects include feature How To Please A Woman about a woman’s choice to take her all-male housecleaning business to a more intimate level; the previously announced ABC anthology drama series Fires, set during last summer’s devastating bushfires; Stan feature Gold, and a comedy about a single woman and her database of potential sexual partners in Spreadsheet for Viacom CBS.
Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said it was a testament to the resilience of the screen industry to have so many projects move into production during such a challenging period.
“It’s fantastic to kick off 2021 with such a great sample of the premium dramas that have been greenlit across the country,” she said.
“We’re so pleased to have supported...
The projects include feature How To Please A Woman about a woman’s choice to take her all-male housecleaning business to a more intimate level; the previously announced ABC anthology drama series Fires, set during last summer’s devastating bushfires; Stan feature Gold, and a comedy about a single woman and her database of potential sexual partners in Spreadsheet for Viacom CBS.
Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said it was a testament to the resilience of the screen industry to have so many projects move into production during such a challenging period.
“It’s fantastic to kick off 2021 with such a great sample of the premium dramas that have been greenlit across the country,” she said.
“We’re so pleased to have supported...
- 2/3/2021
- by Sean Slatter
- IF.com.au
So hefty is the ABC’s slate in 2021, director entertainment and specialist Michael Carrington is confident audiences won’t even realise that many of the broadcaster’s productions faced shutdowns and delays during the pandemic.
As announced at the ABC’s upfronts this afternoon, the line-up for the new year includes new dramas Fires and The Newsreader, new comedies Fisk and Preppers, as well as the return of Total Control, Frayed, Jack Irish, Harrow and Superwog.
2021 will also see the premiere of Jungle Entertainment’s mental health drama Wakefield, with all eps planned to drop on ABC iview.
Also on the line-up is Closer Productions’ chef comedy Aftertaste, starring Erik Thomson, Natalie Abbott and Rachel Griffiths, and feature anthology Here Out West, penned by a group of emerging writers from Western Sydney.
“Seven or eight months ago we were in full production and overnight we stopped production all around Australia,...
As announced at the ABC’s upfronts this afternoon, the line-up for the new year includes new dramas Fires and The Newsreader, new comedies Fisk and Preppers, as well as the return of Total Control, Frayed, Jack Irish, Harrow and Superwog.
2021 will also see the premiere of Jungle Entertainment’s mental health drama Wakefield, with all eps planned to drop on ABC iview.
Also on the line-up is Closer Productions’ chef comedy Aftertaste, starring Erik Thomson, Natalie Abbott and Rachel Griffiths, and feature anthology Here Out West, penned by a group of emerging writers from Western Sydney.
“Seven or eight months ago we were in full production and overnight we stopped production all around Australia,...
- 11/25/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Cate Blanchett-produced “Stateless” and Shannon Murphy’s feature directing debut “Babyteeth” dominated the nominations for the Australian Film Institute-Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts’ Aacta Awards.
Refugee drama series “Stateless” earned 18 nomination in the TV category, including best telefilm or miniseries, an acting nomination for Jai Courtney, and multiple screenplay and directing nominations. It was also nominated for editing, cinematography, casting and costume design.
The nominations race in the feature film segment was somewhat closer. “Babyteeth” was nominated in 13 categories, ahead of The True History of The Kelly Gang” with 12, and “H Is For Happiness” and The Invisible Man” with ten each.
Best film nominations went to “Babyteeth,” “H is For Happiness,” I Am Woman,” “The Invisible Man,”, The True History of the Kelly Gang,” and “Relic,” which was nominated in four categories. “Babyteeth” picked up four acting nominations for Toby Wallace, Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis.
Refugee drama series “Stateless” earned 18 nomination in the TV category, including best telefilm or miniseries, an acting nomination for Jai Courtney, and multiple screenplay and directing nominations. It was also nominated for editing, cinematography, casting and costume design.
The nominations race in the feature film segment was somewhat closer. “Babyteeth” was nominated in 13 categories, ahead of The True History of The Kelly Gang” with 12, and “H Is For Happiness” and The Invisible Man” with ten each.
Best film nominations went to “Babyteeth,” “H is For Happiness,” I Am Woman,” “The Invisible Man,”, The True History of the Kelly Gang,” and “Relic,” which was nominated in four categories. “Babyteeth” picked up four acting nominations for Toby Wallace, Eliza Scanlen, Ben Mendelsohn and Essie Davis.
- 11/19/2020
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Aacta has unveiled the final set of nominees for its upcoming awards, including the craft categories in television and documentary, as well as those up for the VFX, casting and the Best Asian Film awards.
Leading the charge in television is Matchbox Pictures/Dirty Films’ Stateless, which notched another 11 nominations today, taking its overall tally to 18.
Fellow ABC series Mystery Road, produced by Bunya Productions, follows with a total of 14 nominations.
Stateless helmers Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse are both nominated for Best Direction in A Television Drama or Comedy. They will vie against Mystery Road‘s Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton, and Simon Francis, who shot Anne Edmond’s Amazon stand-up special.
Thornton is a double nominee, also garnering recognition for his cinematography on Mystery Road, up against Marden Dean for The Commons; Martin McGrath for Operation Buffalo, and Bonnie Elliott for Stateless.
Nominated in the TV screenplay category...
Leading the charge in television is Matchbox Pictures/Dirty Films’ Stateless, which notched another 11 nominations today, taking its overall tally to 18.
Fellow ABC series Mystery Road, produced by Bunya Productions, follows with a total of 14 nominations.
Stateless helmers Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse are both nominated for Best Direction in A Television Drama or Comedy. They will vie against Mystery Road‘s Wayne Blair and Warwick Thornton, and Simon Francis, who shot Anne Edmond’s Amazon stand-up special.
Thornton is a double nominee, also garnering recognition for his cinematography on Mystery Road, up against Marden Dean for The Commons; Martin McGrath for Operation Buffalo, and Bonnie Elliott for Stateless.
Nominated in the TV screenplay category...
- 11/18/2020
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Monica Zanetti’s screenplay of Ellie & Abbie (& Ellie’s Dead Aunt), Ben Lawrence and Beatrix Christian’s Hearts and Bones and Ally Burnham’s Unsound have been nominated for best original feature in the 53rd annual Awgie Awards.
The contenders for the feature film adaptation prize are Thomas M. Wright and Erik Jensen’s Acute Misfortune, Lisa Hoppe’s H is for Happiness, Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps’ Penguin Bloom and C.S. McMullen’s The Other Lamb.
The TV series prize promises to be a close race between episodes of Glen Dolman’s Bloom, Michael Petroni’s Messiah for Netflix, Belinda Chayko’s Stateless, Samantha Strauss’ The End and Pip Karmel’s Total Control.
Timothy Hobart, John Ridley, Jeremy Nguyen, Alan Nguyen and Michele Lee’s Hungry Ghosts will square off against Matthew Cormack and Niki Aken’s The Hunting for best miniseries.
In the TV serial category it must...
The contenders for the feature film adaptation prize are Thomas M. Wright and Erik Jensen’s Acute Misfortune, Lisa Hoppe’s H is for Happiness, Shaun Grant and Harry Cripps’ Penguin Bloom and C.S. McMullen’s The Other Lamb.
The TV series prize promises to be a close race between episodes of Glen Dolman’s Bloom, Michael Petroni’s Messiah for Netflix, Belinda Chayko’s Stateless, Samantha Strauss’ The End and Pip Karmel’s Total Control.
Timothy Hobart, John Ridley, Jeremy Nguyen, Alan Nguyen and Michele Lee’s Hungry Ghosts will square off against Matthew Cormack and Niki Aken’s The Hunting for best miniseries.
In the TV serial category it must...
- 9/25/2020
- 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
Tony Ayres Productions (Tap) is developing The Fires, a six-part anthology series drawing on the experiences of those directly affected by the Australian megafires of last summer.
The company, which has an exclusive deal with NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, has ABC already on board with the series in Australia.
The creative team includes Tony Ayres, Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts. The writing team, led by International Emmy Award-winning showrunner/writer Belinda Chayko includes Jacquelin Perske (The Cry), Mirrah Foulkes (Judy and Punch), Steven McGregor (Mystery Road) and Anya Beyersdorf.
The Fires is a serialized anthology inspired by the stories of the people who survived last summer’s catastrophic fire season and continue to endure the aftermath. Each episode is based around character studies...
The company, which has an exclusive deal with NBCUniversal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, has ABC already on board with the series in Australia.
The creative team includes Tony Ayres, Andrea Denholm and Liz Watts. The writing team, led by International Emmy Award-winning showrunner/writer Belinda Chayko includes Jacquelin Perske (The Cry), Mirrah Foulkes (Judy and Punch), Steven McGregor (Mystery Road) and Anya Beyersdorf.
The Fires is a serialized anthology inspired by the stories of the people who survived last summer’s catastrophic fire season and continue to endure the aftermath. Each episode is based around character studies...
- 8/13/2020
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Cate Blanchett’s topical immigration-focused series “Stateless” is nearing release and Netflix has debuted the trailer for the upcoming limited series.
Here’s the series’ synopsis, per Netflix: “Stateless” is a powerful and timely series about four strangers whose lives collide at an immigration detention center in the middle of the Australian desert — an airline hostess (Yvonne Strahovski) on the run from a dangerous cult, an Afghan refugee (Fayssal Bazzi) and his family fleeing persecution, a young father (Jai Courtney) escaping a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat (Asher Keddie) running out of time to contain a national scandal.
Though the series, which premieres on Netflix on July 8, has yet to land in America, has already aired on Australian public broadcaster ABC in March. Netflix acquired the global rights to the series in February. The show was seven years in the making for Blanchett, who also serves as an ambassador for...
Here’s the series’ synopsis, per Netflix: “Stateless” is a powerful and timely series about four strangers whose lives collide at an immigration detention center in the middle of the Australian desert — an airline hostess (Yvonne Strahovski) on the run from a dangerous cult, an Afghan refugee (Fayssal Bazzi) and his family fleeing persecution, a young father (Jai Courtney) escaping a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat (Asher Keddie) running out of time to contain a national scandal.
Though the series, which premieres on Netflix on July 8, has yet to land in America, has already aired on Australian public broadcaster ABC in March. Netflix acquired the global rights to the series in February. The show was seven years in the making for Blanchett, who also serves as an ambassador for...
- 6/25/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Cate Blanchett’s topical immigration-focused series “Stateless” is nearing release and Netflix has debuted the trailer for the upcoming limited series.
Here’s the series’ synopsis, per Netflix: “Stateless” is a powerful and timely series about four strangers whose lives collide at an immigration detention center in the middle of the Australian desert — an airline hostess (Yvonne Strahovski) on the run from a dangerous cult, an Afghan refugee (Fayssal Bazzi) and his family fleeing persecution, a young father (Jai Courtney) escaping a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat (Asher Keddie) running out of time to contain a national scandal.
Though the series, which premieres on Netflix on July 8, has yet to land in America, has already aired on Australian public broadcaster ABC in March. Netflix acquired the global rights to the series in February. The show was seven years in the making for Blanchett, who also serves as an ambassador for...
Here’s the series’ synopsis, per Netflix: “Stateless” is a powerful and timely series about four strangers whose lives collide at an immigration detention center in the middle of the Australian desert — an airline hostess (Yvonne Strahovski) on the run from a dangerous cult, an Afghan refugee (Fayssal Bazzi) and his family fleeing persecution, a young father (Jai Courtney) escaping a dead-end job, and a bureaucrat (Asher Keddie) running out of time to contain a national scandal.
Though the series, which premieres on Netflix on July 8, has yet to land in America, has already aired on Australian public broadcaster ABC in March. Netflix acquired the global rights to the series in February. The show was seven years in the making for Blanchett, who also serves as an ambassador for...
- 6/25/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Thompson on Hollywood
Asher Keddie and Darren Gilshenan in ‘Stateless’ (Photo: Lisa Tomasetti).
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights excluding Australia to Stateless, the six-part drama about four strangers whose lives collide in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert, co-created by Cate Blanchett, Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie.
The series produced by Matchbox Pictures and Blanchett and Andrew Upton’s Dirty Films, which premieres on the ABC this Sunday, will roll out on the streamer later this year.
The first two episodes of the drama starring Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Fayssal Bazzi, Asher Keddie and Blanchett have their world premiere on Wednesday night at the sixth edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Berlinale Series.
Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse directed the series scripted by the showrunner McCredie and Belinda Chayko and produced by Sheila Jayadev and Paul Ranford.
Strahovski plays Sofie Werner, an airline hostess on the run from her...
Netflix has acquired worldwide rights excluding Australia to Stateless, the six-part drama about four strangers whose lives collide in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert, co-created by Cate Blanchett, Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie.
The series produced by Matchbox Pictures and Blanchett and Andrew Upton’s Dirty Films, which premieres on the ABC this Sunday, will roll out on the streamer later this year.
The first two episodes of the drama starring Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Fayssal Bazzi, Asher Keddie and Blanchett have their world premiere on Wednesday night at the sixth edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Berlinale Series.
Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse directed the series scripted by the showrunner McCredie and Belinda Chayko and produced by Sheila Jayadev and Paul Ranford.
Strahovski plays Sofie Werner, an airline hostess on the run from her...
- 2/25/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Netflix has swooped in and taken global rights outside Australia to the Cate Blanchett-starring and exec-produced refugee drama series “Stateless,” following its world premiere in Berlin this week.
Australian public broadcaster ABC, which commissioned the six-part series, will air “Stateless” on March 1, with the streaming giant going out later this year. It is believed the show was a straight acquisition for the platform. “Stateless” is produced by Matchbox Pictures along with Blanchett and Andrew Upton’s production banner Dirty Films.
A timely story five years in the making, the series follows four people caught up in an immigration system that severely impacts their lives, with each character confronting issues around protection and border control in a different way. Australia, in particular, has a troubling track record around immigration and its handling of refugees looking to enter the country.
The show’s central quartet includes an flight attendant on the...
Australian public broadcaster ABC, which commissioned the six-part series, will air “Stateless” on March 1, with the streaming giant going out later this year. It is believed the show was a straight acquisition for the platform. “Stateless” is produced by Matchbox Pictures along with Blanchett and Andrew Upton’s production banner Dirty Films.
A timely story five years in the making, the series follows four people caught up in an immigration system that severely impacts their lives, with each character confronting issues around protection and border control in a different way. Australia, in particular, has a troubling track record around immigration and its handling of refugees looking to enter the country.
The show’s central quartet includes an flight attendant on the...
- 2/25/2020
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Lawrence, Meg O’Connell and Mithila Gupta.
Screen Australia has selected 11 creatives to travel to New York in April as part of the Talent USA: New York delegation, where they will attend the Australian International Screen Forum.
The program is designed give Australian creators an opportunity to learn on the ground in the Us, and provides networking and professional opportunities.
Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason said: “To achieve success in this global industry it is imperative we help Australian talent establish and foster creative and business relationships in the Us – the largest English speaking market for screen content. This group were chosen because they are at the point in their careers where they can really take advantage of the opportunity and leverage these connections for their upcoming projects.”
Australian International Screen Forum co-founder and executive director Michael Kelleher said, “We are excited to showcase the 2020 Talent USA delegation to a New York industry audience.
Screen Australia has selected 11 creatives to travel to New York in April as part of the Talent USA: New York delegation, where they will attend the Australian International Screen Forum.
The program is designed give Australian creators an opportunity to learn on the ground in the Us, and provides networking and professional opportunities.
Screen Australia CEO Graeme Mason said: “To achieve success in this global industry it is imperative we help Australian talent establish and foster creative and business relationships in the Us – the largest English speaking market for screen content. This group were chosen because they are at the point in their careers where they can really take advantage of the opportunity and leverage these connections for their upcoming projects.”
Australian International Screen Forum co-founder and executive director Michael Kelleher said, “We are excited to showcase the 2020 Talent USA delegation to a New York industry audience.
- 2/19/2020
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Cate Blanchett in ‘Stateless.’ (Photo: Ben King).
The first two episodes of Matchbox Pictures’ Stateless and the second series of Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road will have their world premieres at the sixth edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Berlinale Series.
In addition, Goalpost’s Dark Victory from writer-director Matthew Saville is among eight titles selected for the Co-Pro Series 2020, which seeks to link projects with international partners.
Adapted from the book by David Marr and Marian Wilkinson, Dark Victory is the story of the Howard government’s refusal to allow Norwegian frieghter Tampa, with hundreds of mainly Afghan refugees on board, to enter Christmas Island.
The Berlinale Series line-up consists of eight series from around the world including Damien Chazelle’s Paris-set musical-drama The Eddy for Netflix, Jason Segel’s AMC series Dispatches from Elswehere and the BBC-HBO Max’s Trigonometry.
“An abundance of topics and...
The first two episodes of Matchbox Pictures’ Stateless and the second series of Bunya Productions’ Mystery Road will have their world premieres at the sixth edition of the Berlin International Film Festival’s Berlinale Series.
In addition, Goalpost’s Dark Victory from writer-director Matthew Saville is among eight titles selected for the Co-Pro Series 2020, which seeks to link projects with international partners.
Adapted from the book by David Marr and Marian Wilkinson, Dark Victory is the story of the Howard government’s refusal to allow Norwegian frieghter Tampa, with hundreds of mainly Afghan refugees on board, to enter Christmas Island.
The Berlinale Series line-up consists of eight series from around the world including Damien Chazelle’s Paris-set musical-drama The Eddy for Netflix, Jason Segel’s AMC series Dispatches from Elswehere and the BBC-HBO Max’s Trigonometry.
“An abundance of topics and...
- 1/14/2020
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Safe Harbour’.
Matchbox Pictures drama Safe Harbour has won the International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie/Miniseries.
The four-part psychological thriller beat out fellow nominees Lust Stories (India), Se Eu Fechar Os Olhos Agora [If I Close My Eyes Now] (Brazil) and Trezor (Hungary).
First commissioned by Sbs, Safe Harbour follows a group of Aussie friends who come across a broken-down boat full of desperate asylum-seekers while on a yachting holiday. The Australians decide to tow the refugees, but the next morning the boat is gone. Years later they meet some of the refugees again and learn the truth: someone cut the rope between the boats and, as a result, seven people died.
Safe Harbour was scripted by Belinda Chayko (who also served as the showrunner), Matt Cameron and Phil Enchelmaier; directed by Glendyn Ivin; produced by Stephen Corvini, and stars Ewen Leslie, Phoebe Tonkin, Jacqueline McKenzie, Leeanna Walsman, Joel Jackson, Nicole Chamoun, Hazem Shammas and Robert Rabiah.
Matchbox Pictures drama Safe Harbour has won the International Emmy Award for Best TV Movie/Miniseries.
The four-part psychological thriller beat out fellow nominees Lust Stories (India), Se Eu Fechar Os Olhos Agora [If I Close My Eyes Now] (Brazil) and Trezor (Hungary).
First commissioned by Sbs, Safe Harbour follows a group of Aussie friends who come across a broken-down boat full of desperate asylum-seekers while on a yachting holiday. The Australians decide to tow the refugees, but the next morning the boat is gone. Years later they meet some of the refugees again and learn the truth: someone cut the rope between the boats and, as a result, seven people died.
Safe Harbour was scripted by Belinda Chayko (who also served as the showrunner), Matt Cameron and Phil Enchelmaier; directed by Glendyn Ivin; produced by Stephen Corvini, and stars Ewen Leslie, Phoebe Tonkin, Jacqueline McKenzie, Leeanna Walsman, Joel Jackson, Nicole Chamoun, Hazem Shammas and Robert Rabiah.
- 11/26/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
‘Wrong Kind of Black’.
Matchbox Pictures’ Safe Harbour, Princess Pictures’ Wrong Kind of Black and Synchronicity Films/December Media’s The Cry have received nominations for International Emmy Awards.
Safe Harbour, produced by Matchbox Pictures, has been nominated in the Best TV Movie/Mini-Series category. Broadcast on Sbs, the asylum seeker drama series was directed by Glendyn Ivin and showrun by writer and producer Belinda Chayko, also featuring writers Phil Enchelmaier and Matt Cameron. It was produced by Stephen Corvini and includes executive producers Sue Masters, Debbie Lee and Chayko.
The ABC iview-commissioned Wrong Kind of Black, from Princess Pictures, has been nominated for best Short Form Series. Based on the life and stories of Indigenous writer, poet and educator Boori Monty Pryor, the four-part series was directed by Catriona McKenzie, written by Pryor and produced by Kelly West and Melanie Brunt. Princess Pictures’ Emma Fitzsimons and Andrea Denholm were executive producers.
Matchbox Pictures’ Safe Harbour, Princess Pictures’ Wrong Kind of Black and Synchronicity Films/December Media’s The Cry have received nominations for International Emmy Awards.
Safe Harbour, produced by Matchbox Pictures, has been nominated in the Best TV Movie/Mini-Series category. Broadcast on Sbs, the asylum seeker drama series was directed by Glendyn Ivin and showrun by writer and producer Belinda Chayko, also featuring writers Phil Enchelmaier and Matt Cameron. It was produced by Stephen Corvini and includes executive producers Sue Masters, Debbie Lee and Chayko.
The ABC iview-commissioned Wrong Kind of Black, from Princess Pictures, has been nominated for best Short Form Series. Based on the life and stories of Indigenous writer, poet and educator Boori Monty Pryor, the four-part series was directed by Catriona McKenzie, written by Pryor and produced by Kelly West and Melanie Brunt. Princess Pictures’ Emma Fitzsimons and Andrea Denholm were executive producers.
- 9/19/2019
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Fayssal Bazzi. (Photo: Amelia J Dowd)
Actor Fayssal Bazzi’s father is Lebanese and his mother is Syrian, so for much of his career he was determined to avoid being typecast as Arabic characters, particularly criminals and terrorists.
After scoring the lead role in Mark Grentell’s comedy-drama The Merger, he has enjoyed a higher profile and portrayed a diverse range of characters.
“I just want to play characters whose ethnicity is incidental and I’ve been lucky to be able to do that in the past few years,” he tells If.
Earlier this year he played the son-in-law of Damon Herriman’s seedy night club owner in the second season of FX/Foxtel’s Mr Inbetween, created by and starring Scott Ryan and directed by Nash Edgerton. That was his second collaboration with Herriman following Abe Forsythe’s 2015 Cronulla race riot drama Down Under.
Currently he is in Adelaide shooting Stateless,...
Actor Fayssal Bazzi’s father is Lebanese and his mother is Syrian, so for much of his career he was determined to avoid being typecast as Arabic characters, particularly criminals and terrorists.
After scoring the lead role in Mark Grentell’s comedy-drama The Merger, he has enjoyed a higher profile and portrayed a diverse range of characters.
“I just want to play characters whose ethnicity is incidental and I’ve been lucky to be able to do that in the past few years,” he tells If.
Earlier this year he played the son-in-law of Damon Herriman’s seedy night club owner in the second season of FX/Foxtel’s Mr Inbetween, created by and starring Scott Ryan and directed by Nash Edgerton. That was his second collaboration with Herriman following Abe Forsythe’s 2015 Cronulla race riot drama Down Under.
Currently he is in Adelaide shooting Stateless,...
- 6/23/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Yvonne Strahovski, Cate Blanchett and Jai Courtney.
Cate Blanchett co-created, co-produces and will play a key supporting role in Stateless, a six-part drama about four strangers in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert commissioned by the ABC.
Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Fayssal Bazzi and Asher Keddie will play the leads in the series scripted by showrunner Elise McCredie and Belinda Chayko, to be directed by Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse.
Strahovski is cast as an airline hostess who is escaping a cult-like self-improvement group, with Bazzi as an Afghan refugee fleeing persecution. Courtney is a young Australian father escaping a dead-end job and Keddie is a bureaucrat who is caught up in a national scandal.
When their lives intersect they are pushed to the brink of sanity, yet unlikely and profound emotional connections are made within the group.
In her first Australian TV role since Rake in 2014, Cate...
Cate Blanchett co-created, co-produces and will play a key supporting role in Stateless, a six-part drama about four strangers in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert commissioned by the ABC.
Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Fayssal Bazzi and Asher Keddie will play the leads in the series scripted by showrunner Elise McCredie and Belinda Chayko, to be directed by Emma Freeman and Jocelyn Moorhouse.
Strahovski is cast as an airline hostess who is escaping a cult-like self-improvement group, with Bazzi as an Afghan refugee fleeing persecution. Courtney is a young Australian father escaping a dead-end job and Keddie is a bureaucrat who is caught up in a national scandal.
When their lives intersect they are pushed to the brink of sanity, yet unlikely and profound emotional connections are made within the group.
In her first Australian TV role since Rake in 2014, Cate...
- 5/14/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
Cate Blanchett is set to star in Australian television series “Stateless,” which she co-created, alongside Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie. The six-part drama series follows a group of people stuck in an immigration detention center.
Yvonne Strahovski and Dominic West also star. Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, will produce via their Dirty Films banner, along with the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Screen Australia and Matchbox Pictures. NBCUniversal will distribute worldwide. Production will begin in June at South Australia’s Adelaide Studios.
“Whilst this story centers on Australia, the dilemmas that it explores through four absorbing characters will resonate globally: the desire for personal freedom, the need for social stability, an escalating lack of faith in the political process and the deeply unsettling impact this has on individual lives,” Blanchett said in a statement.
Also Read: Sarah Paulson, John Slattery Among 11 Cast in Cate Blanchett's FX Limited Series 'Mrs America'
Per the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Yvonne Strahovski and Dominic West also star. Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, will produce via their Dirty Films banner, along with the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Screen Australia and Matchbox Pictures. NBCUniversal will distribute worldwide. Production will begin in June at South Australia’s Adelaide Studios.
“Whilst this story centers on Australia, the dilemmas that it explores through four absorbing characters will resonate globally: the desire for personal freedom, the need for social stability, an escalating lack of faith in the political process and the deeply unsettling impact this has on individual lives,” Blanchett said in a statement.
Also Read: Sarah Paulson, John Slattery Among 11 Cast in Cate Blanchett's FX Limited Series 'Mrs America'
Per the Australian Broadcasting Corp.
- 5/14/2019
- by Margeaux Sippell
- The Wrap
Cate Blanchett, Yvonne Strahovski and Dominic West are set to star in “Stateless,” a six-part TV series about people stuck in an immigration detention center. NBCUniversal will handle worldwide distribution on the drama, which is being produced by Blanchett and her husband, Andrew Upton, through their Dirty Films banner, alongside the Australian Broadcasting Corp., Screen Australia and Matchbox Pictures.
Production begins next month at Adelaide Studios in South Australia. Major production funding comes from Screen Australia and the ABC, with additional financial support from the South Australian Film Corp.
Co-created by Blanchett, Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie, the series centers on four strangers — a flight attendant escaping a suburban cult, an Afghan refugee fleeing persecution, a young Australian father escaping a dead-end job and a bureaucrat caught up in a national scandal — who are stuck in an immigration detention center in the Australian desert. Each character deals with the contradictions...
Production begins next month at Adelaide Studios in South Australia. Major production funding comes from Screen Australia and the ABC, with additional financial support from the South Australian Film Corp.
Co-created by Blanchett, Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie, the series centers on four strangers — a flight attendant escaping a suburban cult, an Afghan refugee fleeing persecution, a young Australian father escaping a dead-end job and a bureaucrat caught up in a national scandal — who are stuck in an immigration detention center in the Australian desert. Each character deals with the contradictions...
- 5/14/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Cate Blanchett is to star in and has co-created Australian drama Stateless. She will appear in the six-part limited immigration drama alongside Dominic West. It was commissioned by Australian broadcaster ABC.
The series, which also stars Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Asher Keddie and Fayssal Bazzi, follows four people caught up in an immigration system that profoundly affects their lives. Each character deals with the contradictions of protection and border control from a unique perspective, offering relevant and timely insight into issues that countries are grappling with around the world.
Co-created by Cate Blanchett, Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie, the series centres on four strangers in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert. They are an airline hostess escaping a suburban cult, an Afghan refugee fleeing persecution, a young Australian father escaping a dead-end job and a bureaucrat caught-up in a national scandal. When their lives intersect they are pushed to the brink of sanity,...
The series, which also stars Yvonne Strahovski, Jai Courtney, Asher Keddie and Fayssal Bazzi, follows four people caught up in an immigration system that profoundly affects their lives. Each character deals with the contradictions of protection and border control from a unique perspective, offering relevant and timely insight into issues that countries are grappling with around the world.
Co-created by Cate Blanchett, Tony Ayres and Elise McCredie, the series centres on four strangers in an immigration detention centre in the Australian desert. They are an airline hostess escaping a suburban cult, an Afghan refugee fleeing persecution, a young Australian father escaping a dead-end job and a bureaucrat caught-up in a national scandal. When their lives intersect they are pushed to the brink of sanity,...
- 5/14/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Alastair McKinnon.
A generational change is sweeping through Matchbox Pictures as the NBCUniversal-owned production company develops a raft of projects with emerging writers and producers.
“Talent development has always been a priority for Matchbox,” says Alastair McKinnon, who started as MD last December after three years with the ABC, most recently as head of content investment and planning,
McKinnon signed on just as the company founded by Penny Chapman, Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhurst was celebrating its 10th anniversary. “That was the perfect time to reflect and think about what Matchbox has done incredibly successfully over that time as the leading drama production company in Australia,” he tells If in his first interview since taking charge.
“But the industry has transformed in that 10 years and is unrecognisable if you think about the sorts of shows, how they are financed and the distribution models of drama.
A generational change is sweeping through Matchbox Pictures as the NBCUniversal-owned production company develops a raft of projects with emerging writers and producers.
“Talent development has always been a priority for Matchbox,” says Alastair McKinnon, who started as MD last December after three years with the ABC, most recently as head of content investment and planning,
McKinnon signed on just as the company founded by Penny Chapman, Tony Ayres, Helen Bowden, Michael McMahon and Helen Panckhurst was celebrating its 10th anniversary. “That was the perfect time to reflect and think about what Matchbox has done incredibly successfully over that time as the leading drama production company in Australia,” he tells If in his first interview since taking charge.
“But the industry has transformed in that 10 years and is unrecognisable if you think about the sorts of shows, how they are financed and the distribution models of drama.
- 2/10/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Safe Harbour’
The UK’s BBC4 has acquired Matchbox Pictures’ Safe Harbour, the four-part psychological thriller directed by Glendyn Ivin and produced by Stephen Corvini.
That is the second major deal for the Sbs-commissioned show after Hulu bought the Us rights last year, where it premiered as a Hulu Original series.
The BBC acquired the series, which starred Ewen Leslie, Phoebe Tonkin, Jacqueline McKenzie, Leeanna Walsman, Joel Jackson, Nicole Chamoun, Hazem Shammas and Robert Rabiah, from NBCUniversal International Distribution.
It follows six friends on a yacht who encounter a stricken vessel carrying refugees during a voyage from Brisbane to Indonesia, scripted by Belinda Chayko (who also served as the showrunner), Matt Cameron and Phil Enchelmaier.
BBC4 also picked up returning shows including Icelandic crime series Trapped , Danish drama Follow the Money and Entertainment One’s Cardinal.
Channel editor Cassian Harrison said the deals show that BBC4 “continues to fire on all cylinders,...
The UK’s BBC4 has acquired Matchbox Pictures’ Safe Harbour, the four-part psychological thriller directed by Glendyn Ivin and produced by Stephen Corvini.
That is the second major deal for the Sbs-commissioned show after Hulu bought the Us rights last year, where it premiered as a Hulu Original series.
The BBC acquired the series, which starred Ewen Leslie, Phoebe Tonkin, Jacqueline McKenzie, Leeanna Walsman, Joel Jackson, Nicole Chamoun, Hazem Shammas and Robert Rabiah, from NBCUniversal International Distribution.
It follows six friends on a yacht who encounter a stricken vessel carrying refugees during a voyage from Brisbane to Indonesia, scripted by Belinda Chayko (who also served as the showrunner), Matt Cameron and Phil Enchelmaier.
BBC4 also picked up returning shows including Icelandic crime series Trapped , Danish drama Follow the Money and Entertainment One’s Cardinal.
Channel editor Cassian Harrison said the deals show that BBC4 “continues to fire on all cylinders,...
- 1/22/2019
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
‘Jirga’ won the Aacta for Best Indie Film.
Director Benjamin Gilmour’s Jirga took home the inaugural Aacta Award for Best Indie Film – designed to honour films made under $2 million – at the Aacta Industry Luncheon in Sydney yesterday.
The film, produced by John Maynard, beat out Strange Colours, Brothers’ Nest, West of Sunshine and The Second. Starring Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan seeking forgiveness, Jirga is also Australia’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Some 35 awards were given away at yesterday’s Aacta event, hosted by actress Kat Stewart and comedian Nazeem Hussain. Other key feature film winners were Sweet Country and Ladies in Black, which each took home three gongs.
David Tranter and Steven McGregor won Best Original Screenplay for Sweet Country, while film’s director and Dop Warwick Thornton was honoured with the award for Best...
Director Benjamin Gilmour’s Jirga took home the inaugural Aacta Award for Best Indie Film – designed to honour films made under $2 million – at the Aacta Industry Luncheon in Sydney yesterday.
The film, produced by John Maynard, beat out Strange Colours, Brothers’ Nest, West of Sunshine and The Second. Starring Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan seeking forgiveness, Jirga is also Australia’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the upcoming Academy Awards.
Some 35 awards were given away at yesterday’s Aacta event, hosted by actress Kat Stewart and comedian Nazeem Hussain. Other key feature film winners were Sweet Country and Ladies in Black, which each took home three gongs.
David Tranter and Steven McGregor won Best Original Screenplay for Sweet Country, while film’s director and Dop Warwick Thornton was honoured with the award for Best...
- 12/3/2018
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
Stephen Curry, Jacqueline McKenzie and Steve Toussaint in ‘Pine Gap.’
October looms as a blue-ribbon month for Australian high-end drama with the premieres of Pine Gap and Fighting Season.
Screentime’s 6-part thriller set at the Us/Australian defence base in the Northern Territory will debut with a double episode on the ABC at 8.30 pm on Sunday October 14, with all episodes available to binge immediately after on ABC iview.
Goalpost Pictures’ 6-part drama about Australian soldiers returning from Afghanistan will launch on Foxtel’s showcase and on Foxtel Now at 8.30 pm on Sunday October 28.
Created and written by Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard and directed by Mat King, Pine Gap examines the often turbulent relationships between the Australian and Us intelligence analysts working at the base.
With China encroaching, placing decades of stability under threat, the issues of trust, betrayal, love and loyalty all come into question. A shocking secret...
October looms as a blue-ribbon month for Australian high-end drama with the premieres of Pine Gap and Fighting Season.
Screentime’s 6-part thriller set at the Us/Australian defence base in the Northern Territory will debut with a double episode on the ABC at 8.30 pm on Sunday October 14, with all episodes available to binge immediately after on ABC iview.
Goalpost Pictures’ 6-part drama about Australian soldiers returning from Afghanistan will launch on Foxtel’s showcase and on Foxtel Now at 8.30 pm on Sunday October 28.
Created and written by Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard and directed by Mat King, Pine Gap examines the often turbulent relationships between the Australian and Us intelligence analysts working at the base.
With China encroaching, placing decades of stability under threat, the issues of trust, betrayal, love and loyalty all come into question. A shocking secret...
- 9/11/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
“Safe Harbour” wastes no time setting up the parallel tracks for its story. In 2013, a group of leisurely yacht cruisers encounter a refugee ship in open waters off the coast of Australia. After five years and no contact during the intervening time, circumstances bring select inhabitants of both vessels into each other’s orbits again, this time back on land.
Now available on Hulu after premiering in Australia this past spring, this setup could easily veer into an empty attempt at an uplifting tale of human connection or, on the other hand, into an overly dark tale of anger and revenge. Instead, “Safe Harbour” takes a third direction: a mystery unfolding in four acts, where the importance of the final answer gives way to better understanding of how guilt and forgiveness can be powerful forces when set in opposition.
In the present, when Ismail Al-Bayati (Hazem Shammas) picks up Ryan Gallagher...
Now available on Hulu after premiering in Australia this past spring, this setup could easily veer into an empty attempt at an uplifting tale of human connection or, on the other hand, into an overly dark tale of anger and revenge. Instead, “Safe Harbour” takes a third direction: a mystery unfolding in four acts, where the importance of the final answer gives way to better understanding of how guilt and forgiveness can be powerful forces when set in opposition.
In the present, when Ismail Al-Bayati (Hazem Shammas) picks up Ryan Gallagher...
- 8/24/2018
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
Critically praised Australian series Safe Harbour is set to make its U.S. debut on Hulu. As part of a deal with NBCUniversal Television and New Media Distribution, the four-part event drama will debut August 24 on Hulu.
Safe Harbour tells the story of five Australians on a yachting holiday from Darwin to Indonesia, whose idyllic vacation takes a disastrous turn when they come across a broken-down fishing boat, full of desperate asylum seekers. The Australians decide to help, towing the refugees, but when they wake the next morning the fishing boat is gone. Five years later they meet some of the refugees again and learn the truth. Someone cut the rope between the two boats and, as a result, seven people died when the fishing boat sank. The revelation drives a wedge of mistrust between the Australians, as they grapple with protecting themselves and doing the right thing. The refugees...
Safe Harbour tells the story of five Australians on a yachting holiday from Darwin to Indonesia, whose idyllic vacation takes a disastrous turn when they come across a broken-down fishing boat, full of desperate asylum seekers. The Australians decide to help, towing the refugees, but when they wake the next morning the fishing boat is gone. Five years later they meet some of the refugees again and learn the truth. Someone cut the rope between the two boats and, as a result, seven people died when the fishing boat sank. The revelation drives a wedge of mistrust between the Australians, as they grapple with protecting themselves and doing the right thing. The refugees...
- 8/6/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Phoebe Tonkin (The Vampire Diaries) and Joel Jackson (Peter Allen: Not The Boy Next Door) are set to star in Sbs' upcoming Safe Harbour.
The Matchbox Pictures four-parter, currently shooting in Brisbane, will also include Ewen Leslie (Rake), Leeanna Walsman (Seven Types of Ambiguity) and Jacqueline McKenzie (The 4400).
They.ll be joined by Hazem Shammas (Underbelly), Nicole Chamoun (Kick) and Robert Rabiah (Tomorrow When the War Began).
Safe Harbour, written by Phil Enchelmaier, Belinda Chayko and Matt Cameron, follows a group of friends who, on a yacht trip from Brisbane to Indonesia, intercept an overloaded asylum seeker boat. .
Glendyn Ivin (Seven Types of Ambiguity, The Beautiful Lie) will take up directing duties, with Matchbox.s Stephen Corvini (Better Man, Hyde & Seek) producing. Sbs. Sue Masters (The Principal, Deep Water) is the executive producer.
.We.ve assembled a brilliant cast that is set to entertain and enthral an audience with...
The Matchbox Pictures four-parter, currently shooting in Brisbane, will also include Ewen Leslie (Rake), Leeanna Walsman (Seven Types of Ambiguity) and Jacqueline McKenzie (The 4400).
They.ll be joined by Hazem Shammas (Underbelly), Nicole Chamoun (Kick) and Robert Rabiah (Tomorrow When the War Began).
Safe Harbour, written by Phil Enchelmaier, Belinda Chayko and Matt Cameron, follows a group of friends who, on a yacht trip from Brisbane to Indonesia, intercept an overloaded asylum seeker boat. .
Glendyn Ivin (Seven Types of Ambiguity, The Beautiful Lie) will take up directing duties, with Matchbox.s Stephen Corvini (Better Man, Hyde & Seek) producing. Sbs. Sue Masters (The Principal, Deep Water) is the executive producer.
.We.ve assembled a brilliant cast that is set to entertain and enthral an audience with...
- 5/15/2017
- by Jackie Keast
- IF.com.au
Storm Boy.
Screen Australia has unveiled the recipients of its last production investment funding round of 2016. $15 million is shared between seven films and eight television projects, including anticipated titles such as Fred Schepisi.s Andorra and the Shawn Seet remake of Storm Boy..
.We are delighted to be supporting TV projects from so many of the major players all in one round including Foxtel, Channel Seven, Network Ten, the ABC and Sbs," CEO Graeme Mason said. "And in film we look forward to seeing the latest from acclaimed talents Fred Schepisi, Jonathan Teplitzky and John Maynard."
The successful feature film projects are:.
– A contemporary re-imagining of 1976 classic Storm Boy from writer Justin Monjo (The Secret Daughter, Spear), director Shawn Seet (Deep Water, The Code) and Ambience Entertainment producers Michael Boughen and Matthew Street (Tomorrow When the War Began). This time around we meet Mike .Storm Boy. Kingley as a grandfather...
Screen Australia has unveiled the recipients of its last production investment funding round of 2016. $15 million is shared between seven films and eight television projects, including anticipated titles such as Fred Schepisi.s Andorra and the Shawn Seet remake of Storm Boy..
.We are delighted to be supporting TV projects from so many of the major players all in one round including Foxtel, Channel Seven, Network Ten, the ABC and Sbs," CEO Graeme Mason said. "And in film we look forward to seeing the latest from acclaimed talents Fred Schepisi, Jonathan Teplitzky and John Maynard."
The successful feature film projects are:.
– A contemporary re-imagining of 1976 classic Storm Boy from writer Justin Monjo (The Secret Daughter, Spear), director Shawn Seet (Deep Water, The Code) and Ambience Entertainment producers Michael Boughen and Matthew Street (Tomorrow When the War Began). This time around we meet Mike .Storm Boy. Kingley as a grandfather...
- 11/29/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
The Code. . Shelley Birse has taken out the top prize at this year.s Awgie Awards, winning the Major Award for the second season of ABC cyber-thriller The Code..
The first season of The Code also took out the Australian Writers. Guild Major Award in 2014. This year.s award makes it the only series to have been recognised by two Major Awards for both of its seasons. The Code also received the Awgie Award for the Television: Miniseries — Original category.
Overall, more than 25 Australian writers —.from radio, television, film, theatre and interactive media — were honoured at this year.s Awgie Awards, held in Sydney on Friday evening.
Andrew Knight and Osamah Sami.s Ali.s Wedding took out the award for most outstanding script for an original feature, while Shaun Grant and Craig Silvey received the award for most outstanding feature adaptation for Jasper Jones.
Samantha Strauss was honoured for her original telemovie,...
The first season of The Code also took out the Australian Writers. Guild Major Award in 2014. This year.s award makes it the only series to have been recognised by two Major Awards for both of its seasons. The Code also received the Awgie Award for the Television: Miniseries — Original category.
Overall, more than 25 Australian writers —.from radio, television, film, theatre and interactive media — were honoured at this year.s Awgie Awards, held in Sydney on Friday evening.
Andrew Knight and Osamah Sami.s Ali.s Wedding took out the award for most outstanding script for an original feature, while Shaun Grant and Craig Silvey received the award for most outstanding feature adaptation for Jasper Jones.
Samantha Strauss was honoured for her original telemovie,...
- 10/17/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Newton's Law cast members Andrew McFarlane, Toby Schmitz, Brett Tucker, Claudia Karvan, Georgina Naidu and Sean Keenan.
Filming has started in Melbourne on the eight-part ABC drama series Newton.s Law, with Claudia Karvan taking the lead role of Josephine Newton.
The series is created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger, the team from Every Cloud Productions who previously adapted Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries for TV.
Karvan, who plays a suburban solicitor who attempts to return to her briefly glorious stint at the Bar, is joined by Toby Schmitz (Black Sails), Georgina Naidu (Wentworth, The Time of Our Lives), Sean Keenan (Glitch), Brett Tucker (McLeod.s Daughters) and Miranda Tapsell (The Sapphires) with Jane Hall, Freya Stafford, Andrew McFarlane, Ming-Zhu Huii, Will Ewing, Grant Piro, Ella Newton and Makwaya Musudi.
Produced by Eagger, Cox and Anna Molyneaux, the series will shoot for 12 weeks around Melbourne and in studio..
Writers are Belinda Chayko,...
Filming has started in Melbourne on the eight-part ABC drama series Newton.s Law, with Claudia Karvan taking the lead role of Josephine Newton.
The series is created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger, the team from Every Cloud Productions who previously adapted Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries for TV.
Karvan, who plays a suburban solicitor who attempts to return to her briefly glorious stint at the Bar, is joined by Toby Schmitz (Black Sails), Georgina Naidu (Wentworth, The Time of Our Lives), Sean Keenan (Glitch), Brett Tucker (McLeod.s Daughters) and Miranda Tapsell (The Sapphires) with Jane Hall, Freya Stafford, Andrew McFarlane, Ming-Zhu Huii, Will Ewing, Grant Piro, Ella Newton and Makwaya Musudi.
Produced by Eagger, Cox and Anna Molyneaux, the series will shoot for 12 weeks around Melbourne and in studio..
Writers are Belinda Chayko,...
- 8/28/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Newton's Law cast members Andrew McFarlane, Toby Schmitz, Brett Tucker, Claudia Karvan, Georgina Naidu and Sean Keenan.
Filming has started in Melbourne on the eight-part ABC drama series Newton.s Law, with Claudia Karvan taking the lead role of Josephine Newton.
The series is created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger, the team from Every Cloud Productions who previously adapted Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries for TV.
Karvan, who plays a suburban solicitor who attempts to return to her briefly glorious stint at the Bar, is joined by Toby Schmitz (Black Sails), Georgina Naidu (Wentworth, The Time of Our Lives), Sean Keenan (Glitch), Brett Tucker (McLeod.s Daughters) and Miranda Tapsell (The Sapphires) with Jane Hall, Freya Stafford, Andrew McFarlane, Ming-Zhu Huii, Will Ewing, Grant Piro, Ella Newton and Makwaya Musudi.
Produced by Eagger, Cox and Anna Molyneaux, the series will shoot for 12 weeks around Melbourne and in studio..
Writers are Belinda Chayko,...
Filming has started in Melbourne on the eight-part ABC drama series Newton.s Law, with Claudia Karvan taking the lead role of Josephine Newton.
The series is created by Deb Cox and Fiona Eagger, the team from Every Cloud Productions who previously adapted Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries for TV.
Karvan, who plays a suburban solicitor who attempts to return to her briefly glorious stint at the Bar, is joined by Toby Schmitz (Black Sails), Georgina Naidu (Wentworth, The Time of Our Lives), Sean Keenan (Glitch), Brett Tucker (McLeod.s Daughters) and Miranda Tapsell (The Sapphires) with Jane Hall, Freya Stafford, Andrew McFarlane, Ming-Zhu Huii, Will Ewing, Grant Piro, Ella Newton and Makwaya Musudi.
Produced by Eagger, Cox and Anna Molyneaux, the series will shoot for 12 weeks around Melbourne and in studio..
Writers are Belinda Chayko,...
- 8/28/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Elias Anton as Danny Kelly
ABC TV has announced its new four-part drama series, Barracuda, starring Rachel Griffiths and Matt Nable, will air on Sunday nights leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Barracuda, directed by Robert Connelly, is set in Melbourne during 1996 as the golden age of Australian swimming begins. A scholarship to an exclusive boys. school brings 16-year-old Danny Kelly, played by newcomer Elias Anton, one step closer to his ultimate goal - winning Olympic gold. Barracuda, based the book by award-winning novelist Christos Tsiolkas., is a story about identity, obsession, desire, the dizzy heights of success and the terrifying risk of failure. . Initially, Danny struggles to find his place in the prestigious social circles of the private boys school. However, under the charge of highly regarded coach Frank Torma and a friendship/rivalry with teammate Martin Taylor, Danny is soon on track to become Australia.s youngest swimming champion,...
ABC TV has announced its new four-part drama series, Barracuda, starring Rachel Griffiths and Matt Nable, will air on Sunday nights leading up to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Barracuda, directed by Robert Connelly, is set in Melbourne during 1996 as the golden age of Australian swimming begins. A scholarship to an exclusive boys. school brings 16-year-old Danny Kelly, played by newcomer Elias Anton, one step closer to his ultimate goal - winning Olympic gold. Barracuda, based the book by award-winning novelist Christos Tsiolkas., is a story about identity, obsession, desire, the dizzy heights of success and the terrifying risk of failure. . Initially, Danny struggles to find his place in the prestigious social circles of the private boys school. However, under the charge of highly regarded coach Frank Torma and a friendship/rivalry with teammate Martin Taylor, Danny is soon on track to become Australia.s youngest swimming champion,...
- 6/17/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Jacki Weaver returns to Australian television in Secret City.
New Australian political drama Secret City - starring Jacki Weaver, Anna Torv and Dan Wyllie - is set to premiere on June 5.
Filmed in Parliament House and locations across Canberra and Sydney, Secret City is inspired by the best-selling novels The Marmalade Files and The Mandarin Code, written by Canberra political journalists Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis.
Amidst rising tension between China and America, Canberra press gallery journalist Harriet Dunkley (played by Anna Torv) forces her way closer to the truth, uncovering a secret city of interlocked conspiracies which will threaten her career, her life and endangers the freedom of every Australian. .
Weaver makes her return to Australian television in the role of Labor powerbroker Senator Catriona Bailey, while Dan Wyllie plays Minister of Defence Mal Paxton.
Weaver said she loved the story and the character.
.It.s very authentic because...
New Australian political drama Secret City - starring Jacki Weaver, Anna Torv and Dan Wyllie - is set to premiere on June 5.
Filmed in Parliament House and locations across Canberra and Sydney, Secret City is inspired by the best-selling novels The Marmalade Files and The Mandarin Code, written by Canberra political journalists Chris Uhlmann and Steve Lewis.
Amidst rising tension between China and America, Canberra press gallery journalist Harriet Dunkley (played by Anna Torv) forces her way closer to the truth, uncovering a secret city of interlocked conspiracies which will threaten her career, her life and endangers the freedom of every Australian. .
Weaver makes her return to Australian television in the role of Labor powerbroker Senator Catriona Bailey, while Dan Wyllie plays Minister of Defence Mal Paxton.
Weaver said she loved the story and the character.
.It.s very authentic because...
- 4/26/2016
- by Brian Karlovsky
- IF.com.au
Newcomers Elias Anton and Ben Kindon are playing the leads in Barracuda, the 4-part Matchbox Pictures drama for ABC directed by Rob Connolly.
The ABC revealed the casts and storylines of its 2016 adult dramas, all previously commissioned and announced, at its upfronts presentation on Tuesday night.
The broadcaster confirmed a third season of Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys and announced two animated series. Planet 55 Studios. sci-fi/adventure Prisoner Zero follows teen heroes Tag and Gem and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero.
Stark Production.s The Deep is the saga of the Nekton family who encounter leviathans swimming through sunken cities, modern day pirates lurking amidst floating black markets and mysterious guardians who conceal long lost secrets.
The teen-targeted slate also includes Ambience Entertainment.s Tomorrow, When the War Began, based on the novels by John Marsden. In Barracuda, Anton plays Danny Kelly, a Melbourne teenager who yearns for a gold medal...
The ABC revealed the casts and storylines of its 2016 adult dramas, all previously commissioned and announced, at its upfronts presentation on Tuesday night.
The broadcaster confirmed a third season of Matchbox Pictures. Nowhere Boys and announced two animated series. Planet 55 Studios. sci-fi/adventure Prisoner Zero follows teen heroes Tag and Gem and their mysterious friend Prisoner Zero.
Stark Production.s The Deep is the saga of the Nekton family who encounter leviathans swimming through sunken cities, modern day pirates lurking amidst floating black markets and mysterious guardians who conceal long lost secrets.
The teen-targeted slate also includes Ambience Entertainment.s Tomorrow, When the War Began, based on the novels by John Marsden. In Barracuda, Anton plays Danny Kelly, a Melbourne teenager who yearns for a gold medal...
- 11/24/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Amanda Higgs has joined Matchbox Pictures as creative producer as she prepares to start production on the ABC TV drama Barracuda.
Higgs, who was script editor on Matchbox Pictures/ABC's The Slap, most recently produced two series of The Time of Our Lives for the public broadcaster.
Before that she served as acting head of drama and commissioning editor at the ABC, where she also executive produced dramas and comedies. She was also consultant Ep for Fox8 on SLiDE.
At Southern Star she co-created and produced Network 10.s The Secret Life of Us, the most watched Oz. drama in the 16-39 year old demographic.
Based on the book of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda follows young Olympic hopeful Danny Kelly as he deals with the pressure of obsession. Rob Connolly is directing with scripts by Belinda Chayko and Blake Ayshford.
Matchbox MD Chris Oliver-Taylor said: .Amanda.s track record is formidable,...
Higgs, who was script editor on Matchbox Pictures/ABC's The Slap, most recently produced two series of The Time of Our Lives for the public broadcaster.
Before that she served as acting head of drama and commissioning editor at the ABC, where she also executive produced dramas and comedies. She was also consultant Ep for Fox8 on SLiDE.
At Southern Star she co-created and produced Network 10.s The Secret Life of Us, the most watched Oz. drama in the 16-39 year old demographic.
Based on the book of the same name by Christos Tsiolkas, Barracuda follows young Olympic hopeful Danny Kelly as he deals with the pressure of obsession. Rob Connolly is directing with scripts by Belinda Chayko and Blake Ayshford.
Matchbox MD Chris Oliver-Taylor said: .Amanda.s track record is formidable,...
- 9/16/2015
- by Staff writer
- IF.com.au
Foxtel has announced it will progressively double its investment in Australian scripted, factual, lifestyle and entertainment programming by 2018, boosting funding to record levels. As part of a plan to triple spending on scripted content, the pay TV giant will ramp up its drama slate to at least five original series each year, up from the current average of two, over the next three years. Also, more money will be invested in local comedies following Open Slather, a 20-part sketch show produced by Rick McKenna and Laura Waters. new banner McWaters Productions, which is airing on the Comedy Channel. The budget for factual programming will also triple as Foxtel moves towards commissioning at least six new documentary series annually. The home of Australia.s Next Top Model and The Real Housewives of Melbourne, the platform intends to order at least nine new entertainment series each year. The commitment to boost content...
- 6/16/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
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