Airdate: The Beach

 

Here it is. At last year’s Upfronts this was the trailer that upstaged all else ….

NITV has announced a simulcast across SBS and SBS On Demand of the World Premiere of Warwick Thornton’s documentary The Beach.

The six-part documentary will air back-to-back across a three hour broadcast.

Created and directed by Thornton and filmed by his son Dylan River (Robbie Hood), The Beach was filmed in Jilirr, Dampier Peninsula, on the north-west coast of Western Australia.

NITV Channel Manager Tanya Orman said: “NITV are honoured that Warwick has chosen to share such a personal and stunning masterpiece with us. At a time when many Australians feel a longing to escape or to reconnect to Country, I can’t think of a better way to experience an incredible corner of Australia than to join us for this special three-hour journey.”

Award-winning filmmaker Warwick Thornton’s international success has come at a personal cost. He has chosen to try giving up life in the fast lane, on an isolated beach in one of the most beautiful yet brutal environments in the world, to see if he can transform and heal his life.

Once living in isolation, he explores the fragility of the human mind, body and spirit in modern times, and how a life of excess, neglect and self-abuse can be transformed through the ancient healing power of nature and connection to Country.

Filmed in Jilirr, Dampier Peninsula, on the north-west coast of Western Australia, this piece of paradise remains largely undiscovered by most Australians and is known by locals for its beauty and harsh remoteness.

Like his ancestors the Kaytetye people, Thornton relies on the land throughout the experience. Audiences are invited to watch as he develops his instincts and skills to hunt and gather food in order to survive and thrive in this isolated stretch of paradise. Throughout The Beach, Thornton discovers how much he relies on these meals not only for his body, but also for his spirit. Exquisite dishes are prepared silently and without instruction.

The Beach is a World Wide Mind production for NITV, with principal production investment from NITV, in association with Screen Australia.

7.30pm Friday 29th May on NITV, SBS, SBS on Demand.

Replayed on NITV from 1st June, with episodes airing at 7.30pm each night.