Screen Queensland, Screen Australia, and Foxtel have announced they are investing in the Hoodlum production Australia Day.
Australia Day is set in Brisbane over 12 hours on Australia’s national holiday and explores the lives of three Australians from diverse backgrounds whose different worlds collide, illuminating contemporary issues that simmer beneath the surface of modern Australia.
Filming will commence on Monday 22 August and take place exclusively in Brisbane. The production will employ 70 people and spend AUD $3.3 million in Queensland.
‘We are thrilled to be supporting Hoodlum, a home-grown production company who has experienced international success with their Secrets & Lies television series picked up by the ABC Network in the US,’ said Screen Queensland CEO Tracey Vieira.
Screen Australia’s Head of Production, Sally Caplan said: ‘Screen Australia is proud to be involved in Hoodlum’s foray into feature production, having seen and supported their extraordinary work in high-end television. We are excited by the experience of the crew and the terrific cast and look forward to seeing them bring this story to life.’
The all-star cast is led by Bryan Brown, directed by acclaimed film and television director Kriv Stenders (Red Dog, Kill Me Three Times, The Principal) and written by Stephen M. Irwin (Secrets & Lies). Also starring in the exciting new project are Shari Sebbens (The Sapphires,The Gods of Wheat Street), Sean Keenan (Lockie Leonard, Glitch), Matthew Le Nevez (The Kettering Incident, Offspring) and Daniel Webber, Elias Anton, Jenny Wu, Isabelle Cornish and Phoenix Raei. Australia Day will also introduce rising star 14-year-old Miah Madden.
Executive Producers are Nathan Mayfield, Tracey Robertson, Leigh McGrath and Foxtel’s Head of Drama Penny Win and Producer Edward Herbert.
Australia Day will be released in 2017 and have its Australian television premiere on Foxtel.