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Screen Australia and Stan have announced major production investments in two new drama series from Matchbox Pictures and Jungle Entertainment.
This includes “Critical Incident,” a six-part crime drama from Matchbox. While searching for a teenage suspect in Western Sydney, police chased Dahlia, a teenager, and seriously injured a bystander, but it turned out Dahlia was not the culprit. Under intense public scrutiny and encouragement from his fellow officers, he becomes obsessed with finding out something about Dahlia.
The film stars Akshay Khanna and Zoe Bo, and is produced, written and co-executive produced by Sara Basciuoni (The Secret She Keeps). Directed by Neil Sharma (Heartbreak High) and Daniel Nettheim (Line of Duty), written by Ruth Underwood and Hannah Fitzpatrick (Drop Dead Weird Season 2) ), Natasha Henry (Betel Aunt).
Critical Incident has received major production investment from Screen Australia in partnership with Stan, with funding supported by Screen NSW. All3Media International will handle international sales.
Screen Australia is also supporting Jungle Entertainment and Echo Lake Entertainment’s Sunny Nights. This eight-part drama depicts two brothers who move through the beauty and cosmetics industry and become involved in the criminal underworld. They try to turn their startup into a multi-million dollar business, but their bonds are tested by corporate rivals and dangerous gangsters.
The series is directed by Trent O’Donnell (The Good Place, The Hux, Corinne on Account) and stars Nick Keach and Ty Freer (Almost Paradise) and Marike Hardy (Heartbreak). The script is written by Larry Katz (The Squinters) and Claire Sladden (Eden). ) and Niki Arken (Newsreader). We received significant production investment from Stan in partnership with Screen Australia and additional financing from Screen NSW through the Made in NSW Fund. Cineflix Rights will handle international sales.
Screen Australia Content Director Grainne Brunsdon said: “Screen Australia is delighted to be supporting these two new signature Australian dramas and the story-makers behind them.” “Viewers can expect the perfect combination of gripping storylines, complex characters, action, high-stakes drama and wit.”
Bransdon continued: “Critical Incident is a fresh, contemporary take on the crime drama genre from a highly experienced creative team that promises honest insight and an authentic representation of Western Sydney. With Jungle Entertainment and this highly skilled creative team at the helm, Sunny Nights is set to immerse viewers in the absurd misadventures of two brothers caught up in a new and dangerous world. It’s going to be a great series and I can’t wait to see them land on Stan.
“Critical Incident and Sunny Night are fresh Australian stories told by world-class creative teams,” said Kayla Scobie, chief content officer at Stan. “Sara Basciuoni and Matchbox Productions have created a captivating series called Critical Incident, a Western Sydney crime drama starring some of Australia’s newest actors. Produced by the talented team at Jungle Entertainment, Sunny Nights is a reckless adventure that is guaranteed to be fun and uplifting. We thank Screen Australia for their continued support in bringing premium Australian drama to our screens.”
Cath Hepworth, Head of Screen NSW, added: “Critical Incident and Sunny Nights demonstrate the breadth and ambition of our screen creatives in New South Wales and are a great addition to Matchbox Productions. We salute Jungle Entertainment’s unique and fascinating series.” We are excited to see a significant amount of production produced across the state, showcasing a diverse range of locations and ensuring a robust pipeline of exciting projects for our audiences to enjoy. ”
