Airdate: Night Bloomers

New horror anthology Night Bloomers coming to SBS VICELAND sees stories from the Australian Korean diaspora come to life in a haunting five-part series.

Shot in the Western Suburbs of Sydney, the series is part of the SBS / NITV and Screen Australia’s Digital Originals initiative and headlines with an ensemble cast including Ra Chapman (Wentworth), Deborah An (Harrow), Helen Kim (Doctor Doctor), Joshua Park (The Messenger), Rayden Casano, Jaewoo Kim, Clara Kim (Troppo), Jeno Kim (Appetite), Charles An (Last King of the Cross) and Cooper Mortlock.

Night Bloomers has also been invited to feature at SXSW Sydney as part of their prestigious TV Premieres section.

The series is created, written, directed, and produced by Andrew Undi Lee (Melon Grab, Troppo, Born to Spy), and produced by Ashlea Ritchie (Melon Grab) for Turn About Entertainment.

SBS Scripted Commissioning Editor, Loani Arman, said: “We can’t wait for audiences to be delighted, surprised, and on the edge of their seats as they experience the spooky tales of Night Bloomers. Proudly, the series is another distinct offering from Digital Originals initiative, which once again delivers on its ambition to initiative creates more pathways for creatives from underrepresented backgrounds and showcase the next generation of storytelling talent in this country.”

Andrew Undi Lee said: “I wanted to highlight various Korean-Australian experiences that dated back to the 1970’s, while not shying away from the truths of our dark history and experiences as Asians in Australia. What motivated me to create Night Bloomers was mainly to preserve the dying Korean-Australian narratives from first-generation Korean immigrants, while also honouring our culture of folklore and shamanistic storytelling, which are all under threat of becoming just memories for the next generation. We can’t wait to share our stories not only with our diaspora, but with horror enthusiasts across Australia.”

Screen Australia Head of Online and Games, Lee Naimo said: “It is fantastic to see another Digital Originals project making its way onto SBS Viceland and On Demand. With Andrew Undi Lee behind this chilling horror, audiences are guaranteed a dark and thrilling journey into Korean diaspora. Lee’s authentic and bold creative vision has the potential to be something incredibly special in the Australian screen landscape – and we’re delighted we’ve been able to support him to bring Night Bloomers to life.”

Head of Screen NSW, Kyas Hepworth said: “Screen NSW is pleased to support new stories that reflect our communities and add to an inclusive screen industry. Filmed in Western Sydney, Night Bloomers is led by a strong cast and crew, and brings the haunting stories of underrepresented voices to our screens.”

The creative team also includes executive producers Michael McMahon (Clickbait, Nowhere Boys) and Arts & Cultural Exchange’s Barry Gamba (Carla & Lisa’s Countdown), and writers Ra Chapman (White Fever), Jacob Holmes-Brown and Suzanne Soo Hyun Kim, who also directed an episode.

Night Bloomers is a horror anthology series exploring multigenerational stories from the unspoken immigration experiences of the Korean Australia diaspora. It adapts a modern twist on ancient Korean folklore stories, mixed with the supernatural beliefs and story traditions from Korean Shamanism. In it, is a creepy and off-kilter world with interconnected heroes, all struggling with fractured identities that were impacted by war and immigration. Each hero faces mortality in a unique way, coupled with a deep yearning that manifests in malevolent forms of evilness that the ensemble of characters must overcome collectively. If not, the goblins, ghosts and creatures that live in and around them will continue to devour the community.

In partnership between SBS, NITV and Screen Australia, Digital Originals aims to develop exciting and innovative short-form drama projects from screen creatives who are historically under-represented in the sector. This includes people who identify as culturally and linguistically diverse, First Nations Australians, people with disability, female and gender diverse, LGBTQIA+, and those who are located in regional and remote areas.

Night Bloomers follows the success of acclaimed Digital Originals such as A Beginner’s Guide to Grief and Latecomers which you can stream free on SBS On Demand.

Night Bloomers received principal production funding from Screen Australia in association with SBS, with the support of Screen NSW. Developed with assistance from Screen Australia and SBS.

Night Bloomers will be available with audio description and subtitled on SBS On Demand in five different languages including: Simplified Chinese, Arabic, Vietnamese, Traditional Chinese and Korean.

Saturday 28 October at 9.30pm on SBS VICELAND (All episodes available shortly afte on SBS On Demand).

Horror themes.