The Great Australian Race Riot doco for SBS

SBS has commissioned four new documentaries that tackle issues such as social cohesion, race riots, the seafood industry and an elite warfare unit from WWII.

With funding from Screen Australia they are: Living with the Enemy, The Great Australian Race Riot, Z Force (working title) and The Catch (working title)

SBS Director of TV and Online Content Tony Iffland said: “SBS is proud to tell Australia’s stories through thought-provoking and innovative documentaries. These latest commissions demonstrate SBS’s role in challenging and entertaining viewers with locally produced content.”

Living with the Enemy is a bold and provocative six-part documentary series which goes to the heart of SBS’s multicultural charter – exploring the fault lines of social cohesion in Australia. Through a series of social experiments, people on opposing sides of a key social issue or cultural divide will be immersed in each other’s lives and see if they discover a greater understanding of each other and have their deeply held views and beliefs challenged and changed. Living with the Enemy is produced by Shine Australia for SBS.

A new three-part series, The Great Australian Race Riot, will reveal Australia’s history of race riots and examine how they have influenced the country’s character and development. Revealing history from 1800s to the present day, Australia’s reaction to racial disharmony both at the moment and after has been brave, brutal, clever and transforming. This series will reframe race riots as a vital part of Australia’s history. The Great Australian Race Riot is produced by Essential Media for SBS.

Z Force (working title) uncovers a dramatic forgotten episode of Australia’s Second World War involvement. Combining penetrating big-picture history of the Pacific war with gripping personal narrative, it charts the journey of Z Special, an elite jungle warfare unit and forerunner of the SAS. Over three episodes, the series interweaves the story of Z Special’s historic missions with a contemporary narrative, bringing to life the Z men’s tactics and fighting skills by putting the Z men’s grandchildren through their gruelling jungle training regime. The series culminates in an emotional expedition to Borneo, scene of Z Special’s most celebrated and arduous mission. Z Force is produced by Joined Up for SBS.

Matthew Evans, presenter of SBS’s Gourmet Farmer, embarks on a campaigning voyage of discovery to reveal the complex, often shocking truths behind the seafood Australians produce and consume in the new three- part series The Catch (working title). From salmon farming to shark finning, from vast super trawlers to the humble prawn, Mathew Evans will shock, confront and offer the viewer a chance to make a difference. This provocative, campaigning series aims not just to ignite debate but to change the way Australian buy, sell and eat their seafood, habits that are having a devastating impact on our oceans. The Catch is produced by Essential Media for SBS.

David Knox blogs Eurovision for SBS.