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Indigenous drama for ABC

ABC has announced a new 6 part drama series, Redfern Now, to be written, directed and produced by Indigenous Australians.

ABC has announced a new 6 part drama series to be written, directed and produced by Indigenous Australians.

Set in inner city Sydney, Redfern Now will centre around and will explore contemporary inner city Indigenous life. The stories will draw upon “hard-hitting, truthful and emotionally engaging story ideas centring on a diverse group of individuals which explores their strength, flaws and resilience.”

Indigenous writers will be taken through an intense development process led by UK writer Jimmy McGovern (The Street, Cracker and The Lakes, who will be in Australia in January 2011 for a story workshop. It is envisaged the series will go into production in late 2011.

Sally Riley, Head of ABC TV’s Indigenous Department said, “This is an exciting ground-breaking project for Indigenous filmmakers in this country to expand their skills into TV drama, and is a natural progression for the relationship between Screen Australia and ABC TV’s Indigenous departments.

“We are equally thrilled Jimmy McGovern has agreed to collaborate on Redfern Now. He has a long history of mentoring and developing new and emerging writers in the UK and he is one of the world’s most influential TV writers. His stories have a depth rarely seen on television and his experience and generosity of spirit will be an inspiration.”

It will be produced by Blackfella Films (First Australians, Lani’s Story) and will air on ABC1.

This series follows on the heels of previous collaboration between ABC TV and Screen Australia who co-funded Samson & Delilah and Bran Nue Dae.

The drama is being developed in consultation with Redfern Community Organisations.

18 Responses

  1. I wonder if this project has a deadline?

    Perkins had difficulties making a history film about pre-1788 Australia because the people were illiterate and without a recorded history.
    The producers realised there was no film ‘in the can’ after three years of people drawing salaries. They insisted a script-doctor like Jimmy McGovern be brought in to get the project happening. They could afford Australian playwright Louis Nowra who insisted the history project be ‘dramatised’/ ’emotionalised’ / semi-fictionalised to make a watchable program.

    The program was completed after another four years of taxpayers’ money.

  2. About time the ABC started commissioning some interesting sounding drama.

    Just because it’s about indigenous people doesn’t mean it’s automatically “worthy” or “politically correct”, people – that’d be like saying “The Wire” can’t be good drama because it’s about black people.

    I’m excited about this.

  3. This sounds like another worthy and politically correct effort that very few will watch, especially when there are so many wonderful historical Australian stories that can be told and books that could be adapted for TV. I know drama is expensive to produce, but the ABC has not produced anything for a big audience in a very long while. I am thinking “Power without Glory” and “Brides of Christ” type material that draws a large audience. ABC 24 is worth having, but I am sure it is chewing up a lot of money at the expense of TV drama.

  4. Yes Billy it is. Got APIA yet???

    I just hope you last long enough to see bed of Roses season 3, Rake with Richard Roxburgh and any other drama that was announced last year.

    chk chk, exactly. Half of the time I doubt they even belief their spin let alone expect anybody else to. TV critics are thankfully becoming a thing of the past.

  5. This is amazing Darren and Rachel from Blackfella films are amazingly talented (and were rewarded last year with a Logie for The First Australians). With McGovern involved this promises to be something special!!

  6. @Mike You criticise “amateurs writing something” and then you write “when they haven’t even wrote it yet, don’t have the skills to write it”. That’s just too funny.

  7. Congratulations to the ABC for this – occupying the space vacated by SBS when they abandoned drama.

    @ Mike Jimmy McGovern – emotionally detached middle-class hyberbole? Are you joking? Mike Bullen or Andrew Knight – yes, but Jimmy McGovern? I don’t think so. They had Jimmy McGovern on The Circuit development and I’m sure most readers of this blog would agree series 2 was a mess without him.

  8. Sounds great. ABC has announced a number of projects in recent weeks that I’m really looking forward to. I imagine this is at least in part a sign that I am getting old.

  9. So we’ll probably see it around 2015 hey ABC?

    I really don’t like the sound of amateurs writing something ‘hard-hitting, truthful and emotionally engaging story ideas centring on a diverse group of individuals which explores their strength, flaws and resilience’ when they they haven’t even wrote it yet, don’t have the skills to write it yet and are relying on Jimmy McGovern (the king of emotionally detached middle class hyperbole).

    I hope it works out.

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