Airdate: Safe Home

“There are two types of people in this world: those who think family violence will never happen to them… and those who know it can happen to anyone.”

SBS Original thriller Safe Home starring Aisha Dee (The Bold Type) will premiere with a double episode in May.

The 4 part series looks at the stories behind the headlines of the family violence epidemic: the people behind the numbers, the stories behind the statistics. In between stories of friendship and love, Safe Home weaves through expectations and assumptions taking audiences on a wild ride that shows just how difficult red flags can be to spot in real life. Even for those whose work depends on it.

The cast also includes Mabel Li (New Gold Mountain, The Tailings), Virginia Gay (Judy & Punch, Winners and Losers), Thomas Cocquerel (The Gilded Age, Red Dog) and Antonia Prebble (Westside, Outrageous Fortune) with supporting cast Hal Cumpston (The Walking Dead), Chenoa Deemal (Troppo), David Roberts (Total Control), Janet Andrewartha (Neighbours), Mark Mitchinson (The Hobbit), Tegan Stimson (Irreverent), Katlyn Wong (Mystic), Nicholas Burton (Barons) and Yuchen Wang (Hungry Ghosts).

The eries follows Phoebe, a twenty-something professional who leaves her job at a prominent law firm to work at a struggling family violence legal centre. As interconnecting stories unfold, relationships are tested and the pressure mounts to save the centre. With so much at stake, Phoebe must navigate a path that isn’t always clear – and people aren’t always as they appear.

Safe Home is Imogen Banks’ (Offspring, Tangle, Puberty Blues, RFDS) first series under her new production company Kindling Pictures. Directed by Stevie Cruz-Martin (The Tailings, Pulse) and created by writer Anna Barnes, it was inspired by Anna’s time working at community legal centres in Melbourne. The series is also written by  Michelle Law, Jean Tong and co-produced by Emelyne Palmer.

SBS Head of Scripted, Julie Eckersley, said: “As my first Original commission for SBS, I’m incredibly excited about Safe Home. This a compelling and suspenseful drama series; think Unbelievable meets SBS’s hit series The Hunting. It will engage your heart as well as your mind and make you question everything you think you know about family violence.”

Producer Imogen Banks said: “Lovingly executed by an extraordinary team of creatives, Safe Home was an incredibly exciting piece of television to make. Our dream cast is led by the remarkable Aisha Dee who so beautifully lights the way for viewers on her journey into this darkly complex world. In setting up Kindling Pictures, one of my major goals was to find more opportunity for emerging creatives and on Safe Home, with the support of SBS, we have been able to build a hugely exciting team of emerging uber talents, I could not have asked for a better launch project.”

Creator Anna Barnes said: “Family violence is so tragically common in Australia, but it’s still something that isn’t discussed very openly. Working in the sector, I became aware of the important role the media played in telling stories about family violence. The often-sensational news stories significantly influence a lot of the general public’s understanding of this complex issue. It was clear to me that we needed to expand our discussions around what family violence is and how it’s experienced. Moving away from the representation of family violence as purely physical abuse, Safe Home explores other ways it can manifest in relationships, including through economic abuse, emotional abuse, love bombing, cohesive control and systems abuse. In creating Safe Home, we’ve worked with professionals in the field – so while fictional, it’s rooted in authenticity and the real-life processes of the legal services.”

Screen Australia’s Head of Content, Grainne Brunsdon, said: “This compelling drama brings to our screens the urgent and relevant issue of family violence that sadly affects so many families in our country and across the globe. Working with a powerhouse creative team including acclaimed producer Imogen Banks and director Stevie Cruz-Martin, creator Anna Barnes has drawn inspiration from her time working in legal centres to masterfully craft an emotive and suspenseful script together with Michelle Law and Jean Tong. Safe Home is set to be essential viewing on SBS.”

Safe Home is a Kindling Pictures production for SBS. Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with SBS. Financed with support from VicScreen. Banijay are managing international sales.

The first two episodes will premiere on SBS at 8.30pm on Thursday 11 May. Episodes three and four will premiere on SBS on Thursday 18 May at 8.30pm.

All four available to stream on SBS On Demand from Thursday 11 May.