Amazon unveils 7 new Australian productions

Amazon Prime Video has unveiled its biggest ever slate of new Australian productions.

7 new Australian Amazon Original productions have been announced in drama, comedy and documentary at a showcase event in Sydney today.

They include The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart starring Sigourney Weaver, written by Aussie Sarah Lambert and directed by Glendyn Ivin; documentary on bushfires Burning produced by Cate Blanchett & director Eve Orner; comedy series Class of ’07 created by Kacie Anning; new comedy Deadloch by Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan; swimming doco Head Above Water; satirical comedy The Moth Effect from Nick Boshier and Jazz Twemlow; and Indigenous AFL doco Warriors On The Field.

Also acquired are the Australian rights to Hulu production Nine Perfect Strangers, featuring Nicole Kidman, Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Asher Keddie, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall and more.

New premiere dates for previously announced Australian Amazon Originals were revealed (September: Back to the Rafters, July: Luxe Listings Sydney) along with the commentary team for the 2021 Australian Swimming Trials in June.

“We’re incredibly focused on investing in and developing the world’s best talent to deliver the highest quality content for our Prime Video members in Australia and around the world,” said Erika North, Head of Originals, Asia Pacific, at Amazon Studios. “We believe that putting the spotlight on the very best stories from Australian creators will not only excite our Australian viewers, but also our Prime members around the world. Today’s announcements are another step in our mission to bring outstanding content to fruition. We are proud to greenlight seven new Australian Amazon Originals with talented Australian’s, and today underlines our commitment to significant investments within the local creative community.”

“We know that viewers in Australia want to see new, fresh, unique and authentic stories that they can connect with, and we’re committed to producing diverse Australian programming for Prime members globally,” said Tyler Bern, Head of Content, Prime Video Australia. “Australians are incredible storytellers and we are delighted to be working with some of the best filmmakers, writers, directors, producers and actors in the world. We have something for everyone from captivating sports documentaries, to hilarious comedy shows and world-class scripted originals. Amazon Prime Video is constantly on the lookout for new talent and ideas that showcase the best of Australia and we’re so excited to be announcing these incredibly varied seven new Australian Amazon Originals as evidence of our commitment to a diverse slate.”

Australian Amazon Originals:

• The greenlight of Burning, the first Amazon Australian Original feature-length documentary made in Australia. Burning, from executive producers Cate Blanchett and Eva Orner, who also serves as director, takes an unflinching look at the deadly Australian bushfires of 2019-2020, known as ‘Black Summer’. Burning explores what happened as told from the perspective of victims of the fires, activists and scientists. Produced by Propagate Content, Dirty Films and Amazon Studios, Burning will launch on Amazon Prime Video in 2021 in over 240 countries and territories worldwide.

• The greenlight of the new eight-part Australian Original comedy series Class of ’07 will commence filming in Australia this December. Class of ’07 is created by award-winning Australian writer and director Kacie Anning (Amazon Prime Video’s Upload, The Other Guy) and produced by NBCUniversal International Studios’ Matchbox Pictures. When an apocalyptic tidal wave hits during the ten-year reunion of an all-girls high school, a group of women must find a way to survive on the island peak of their high school campus. Like Lord of the Flies (in cocktail dresses), the series follows a group of former classmates, now freshly entangled in decade-old drama, as they attempt to survive not just the apocalypse but each other.

• The greenlight of Deadloch, the new Australian Original comedy series written by ‘The Kates’ (Kate McCartney and Kate McLennan) and produced by Guesswork Television, OK Great Productions and Amazon Studios. ‘The Kates’ latest creation is a feminist noir comedy set against a bucolic backdrop with a rising body count. Filming of the eight-part Amazon Australian Original series will commence in Tasmania this November.

• The greenlight and release details of Head Above Water, an Amazon Original four-part docuseries that follows elite Australian swimmers Ian Thorpe AM, Bronte Campbell OAM, Kyle Chalmers OAM, as well as former-junior-champion-turned-international-musician, Cody Simpson in the lead up to the Games in July. Produced by McAvoy Media, Swimming Australia and Amazon Studios, Head Above Water will launch on June 4, 2021 on Amazon Prime Video in Australia, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand and select countries and will complete its global rollout later in 2021.

• The greenlight of The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, a new Amazon Australian Original series based on the international best-selling book by Australian author Holly Ringland and starring Academy Award nominee and Golden Globe winner Sigourney Weaver. The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart tells the enchanting and compelling story of a young girl, Alice Hart, whose violent childhood casts a dark shadow over her adult life. Produced by Australian hit-maker and Emmy Award-winner Bruna Papandrea from Made Up Stories, Endeavor Content, and adapted for the screen by award-winning Australian writer Sarah Lambert who serves as the series showrunner. Award-winning Australian filmmaker Glendyn Ivin is set to direct.

• The greenlight of The Moth Effect, a satirical, new six-part, Amazon Australian Original sketch comedy produced by Bunya Entertainment, Amazon Studios and created by Nick Boshier (Bondi Hipsters) and Jazz Twemlow (Tonightly). The Moth Effect will launch one episode per month, premiering on July 30, 2021, on Prime Video in Australia and select countries around the world. Together with some of Australia and New Zealand’s finest talent, including Bryan Brown, Miranda Otto, David Wenham, Ben Lawson, Jonny Brugh, Peter O’Brien, Kate Box, Sam Cotton, Christiaan van Vuuren, Sarah Bishop, Nazeem Hussain, David Woodhead and Zoë Coombs Marr. The Moth Effect is set to deliver the finest sketch comedy for Amazon Prime members.

• The greenlight of Warriors On The Field, an Amazon Original documentary presented by former AFL champion Michael O’Loughlin, will be premiering on Amazon Prime Video later in 2021. The documentary offers a compelling insight that explores the deeply personal and poignant stories of three Indigenous AFL players and celebrates Aboriginal Australia and its association with the Australian Football League. Sharing their stories alongside Michael (a Kaurna, Ngarrindjeri, Narungga man) is current AFL player Michael ‘Sonny’ Walters, a Noongar man from Fremantle Dockers, and up-and-coming North Melbourne star Tarryn Thomas, a Kamillaroi and Lumaranaana man, originally from Sydney.

New licensed content:

• Nine Perfect Strangers will premiere exclusively on Amazon Prime Video in countries outside the U.S.A and China later this year. An eight-part series based on The New York Times bestselling book from Australian author Liane Moriarty, Nine Perfect Strangers is produced by the teams behind Big Little Lies and The Undoing and was filmed in Australia in 2020. Nine Perfect Strangers is set at a boutique health-and-wellness resort that promises healing and transformation as nine stressed city dwellers try to get on a path to a better way of living. Watching over them during this ten-day retreat is the resort’s director Masha (played by Nicole Kidman), a woman on a mission to reinvigorate their tired minds and bodies. However, these nine strangers have no idea what is about to hit them. The series also stars Melissa McCarthy, Luke Evans, Asher Keddie, Bobby Cannavale, Michael Shannon, Regina Hall, Manny Jacinto, Grace Van Patten and Samara Weaving. Executive produced by Bruna Papandrea, Steve Hutensky and Casey Haver for Made Up Stories, and Nicole Kidman and Per Saari for Blossom Films, and Liane Moriarty. The series is co-written by David E Kelley and John-Henry Butterworth, who also executive produce. Jonathan Levine directs the series.

Additional announcements on previously revealed titles:

Australian Swimming Trials coverage:
• The full team of Australian swimming commentators include sports broadcaster and journalist Matt White who will serve as host across the six days of live swimming events. Matt will be joined by three-time Olympian Nicole Livingstone OAM, dual Olympian and gold medallist Grant Hackett OAM, and two time Paralympic gold medallist, Annabelle Williams OAM – all serving as experts. Veteran sports commentator Jon Harker will be reporting from the booth, and dual Olympian and gold medallist Giaan Rooney OAM will be poolside. The live stream coverage will run on Amazon Prime Video from Saturday, June 12 through to Thursday, June 17, 2021, with heats each morning from 10.30 am AEST and the finals exclusive each evening from 7.00 pm AEST. The finals and team selection announcements will also feature exclusively on the Amazon Prime Video coverage.

• Back to the Rafters – Australia’s favourite family – the Rafter family attended the exclusive event and announced the much-anticipated release date of the first Amazon Australian Scripted Original on September 17, 2021. The cast that appeared on stage included Rebecca Gibney (Julie Rafter), Hugh Sheridan (Ben Rafter), Angus McLaren (Nathan Rafter), Michael Caton (Ted Taylor), Georgina Haig (Rachel Rafter) and George Houvardas (Nick ‘Carbo’ Karandonis). The six-part series, produced by Seven Studios and Amazon Studios, and created by Bevan Lee, picks up six years after we last said farewell to Dave, Julie and their family.

• Luxe Listings Sydney – Amazon Prime Video announced Luxe Listings Sydney will premiere globally in 240 countries and territories on July 9, 2021. The series stars of Luxe Listings Sydney and Australia’s top real estate agents, Gavin Rubinstein,D’Leanne Lewis, and Simon Cohen, joined the stage to share details of the exciting new show. Luxe Listings Sydney offers viewers an intimate look into the buying and selling of high-end, luxury real estate. Produced by Eureka Productions and executive produced by Chris Culvenor, Paul Franklin, Rikkie Proost and Sophia Mogford. Luxe Listings Sydney is developed by Kentel and is co-produced by executive producers Benjamin Scott and James Kennedy.

• Kick Like Tayla – star AFL Women’s (AFLW) footballer and boxing star Tayla Harris appeared on stage and spoke about being the subject of the brand-new Australian Original documentary coming to Amazon Prime Video later in 2021. Kick Like Tayla will give Prime members globally an exclusive insight into an incredible athlete who balances a successful boxing career alongside playing in the NAB AFL Women’s Competition for the Carlton Football Club. Kick Like Tayla is produced in conjunction with the Australian Football League (AFL). Amazon Studios and Screentime.

• The Wilds – On a production break from filming series 2 of The Wilds in Queensland, the cast from the Amazon Prime Original young adult addictive thriller The Wilds, Mia Healey, (Shelby Goodkind), Shannon Berry (Dot Campbell) and Erana James (Toni Shalifoe) shared their excitement on the announcement of Series 2, filming on the Gold Coast and their reactions to the overwhelming response Series 1 received upon its release in December 2020. The Wilds is produced by Amazon Studios and ABC Signature Studios, part of Disney Television Studios.