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Exclusive: Superstore star Ben Feldman will lead Australian comedy crime caper Population 11.

Lionsgate, streamer Stan and Phil Lloyd and Trent O’Donnell from No Activity producer Jungle Entertainment have teamed for the 12-part series ahead of a March 14 launch in Australia.

The series, which Jungle produces Entertainment in association with Factor 30 Films, has been quietly shooting in Western Australia’s Kimberley Region. We’ve now got full cast details, a trailer (see below) and first-look images.

Based on true events, the series is based around a man, Hugo, who goes missing from a tiny outback town of only 12 residents. His son, Andy Pruden (Feldman), a suburban Ohio bank teller, has journeyed across the world to visit and is alarmed when he discovers he is missing. Andy teams with another outsider Cassie (Perry Mooney) on a quest to find his father, and the pair find themselves in increasing danger as they...

The final season of Sbs’s The Family Law, the first series of ABC’s The Heights and the Sbs miniseries The Hunting have won the 10th annual Equity Ensemble Awards.

The actors who starred in these programs were voted the most outstanding Australian small screen ensembles in their respective categories by the Meaa Equity National Performers’ Committee (Npc).

Equity president Chloe Dallimore, who was among the 33 Npc members who selected this year’s finalists and winners, said: “I can’t think of a better way to spend lockdown than re-watching the incredible small screen performances of the last 12 months. What phenomenal talent we have in this country, both in front and behind the camera.

“It emphasised what’s at stake if we don’t continue to vigorously defend our local content quotas, and why we must continue to remind our government how the arts contribute to our Australian cultural identity.

‘The Hunting.’

France’s M6 Group is the latest international broadcaster to acquire The Hunting, Closer Productions’ four-part drama commissioned by Sbs.

Created by Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack and starring Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, the series exploring the effects of online sexting on teenagers and their families will screen on M6’s digital terrestrial channel W9.

That follows deals negotiated by UK-based Dcd Rights with Viacom-owned Channel 5 in the UK, Sky New Zealand, RTÉ in Ireland, CBC in Canada, Ivi in Russia and Npo in the Netherlands.

The ensemble cast includes Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw, Luca Sardelis, Yazeed Daher, Pamela Rabe, Leah Vandenberg, Rodney Afif, Sachin Joab, Elena Carapetis, Anni Lindner and newcomers Kavitha Anandasivam and Alex Cusack.

Cormack penned the scripts with Niki Aken. Hyde shared directing duties with Ana Kokkinos and produced with Rebecca Summerton and Lisa Scott. Screen Australia and the Safc backed the production.

Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock in ‘Upright’

Lingo Pictures’ dramedy Upright starring Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock will premiere on Fox Showcase on Sunday December 1 at 8.30 pm.

The first co-commission between Foxtel and the UK’s Sky TV, the eight-parter will debut in the UK on Sky Atlantic and streaming service Now TV on November 28.

Created by The Chaser’s Chris Taylor and directed by Matt Saville, the series follows two misfits who meet by chance in the middle of the desert and form a bond in their quest to get a piano from one side of the country a to the other.

When Minchin’s family outcast Lucky Flynn learns that his mother is dying, he decides to drive to the other side of Australia to see her, packing nothing but an upright piano for the journey.

His plans are turned upside down when he meets the rogue teenager...

‘Animals’ (Photo credit: Bernard Walsh).

Sophie Hyde’s Animals opened in UK cinemas last weekend, its first territory, winning plaudits from the critics and sizable audiences.

Picturehouse Entertainment launched the female relationships dramedy adapted from the Emma Jane Unsworth novel, which stars Holliday Grainger and Alia Shawkat, on 73 locations: 38 in greater London and 35 in the regions.

The weekend total including Q&a screenings hosted by Unsworth and a National Girlfriends’ Day promotion was £107,000.

Closer Productions’ Rebecca Summerton, who produced the Irish-Australian co-production with Hyde, Sarah Brocklehurst and Vico Films’ Cormac Fox, tells If she is very pleased with the UK opening and Picturehouse’s marketing campaign.

That augurs well for the September 12 release via Jonathan Page’s Bonsai Films. Page has booked nine screens and aims to have 15 on board at launch.

“It is hard to stand out but I think our uber-cool cast of Alia Shawkat and Holliday...

‘My Life is Murder.’

Cjz’s private investigator series My Life is Murder and Closer Productions’ four-part drama The Hunting have been acquired by UK broadcasters.

Multi-channel operator UKTV will screen the 10-part Cjz production, which follows Lucy Lawless as former homicide cop Alexa Crowe as she investigates baffling and bizarre murders, on its crime drama channel Alibi.

Directed by Leah Purcell, Mat King and Jovita O’Shaugnessy and produced by Elisa Argenzio and Cjz head of development Claire Tonkin, the series premiered on Network 10 on Wednesday night.

The first episode drew 482,000 viewers in the mainland capitals, trailing Shaun Micallef’s Mad as Hell’s 495,000, despite the fact the ABC mistakenly put to air the previous week’s episode of Micallef.

However the 7-day and 28-day figures for 10’s murder-mystery are bound to be a lot higher. The consolidated total for Five Bedrooms, for example, was 642,000 in the five metros,...

Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh in ‘The Hunting.’

Closer Productions’ The Hunting, a four-part drama which examines how teenagers navigate the complexities of relationships, identity and sexuality via technology, will premiere on Sbs at 8.30 pm on Thursday August 1.

Created by Closer’s Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack and starring Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, the plot follows two high school teachers who discover students are sharing explicit photos of their underage friends and peers online.

The revelation has devastating consequences for the students and their families, tackling themes of misogyny, privacy, sexuality and sexualisation, online exploitation, masculinity and gender.

The ensemble cast includes Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw, Luca Sardelis, Yazeed Daher, Pamela Rabe, Leah Vandenberg, Rodney Afif, Sachin Joab, Elena Carapetis, Anni Lindner and newcomers Kavitha Anandasivam and Alex Cusack.

Cormack penned the scripts with Niki Aken, and Hyde shared directing duties with Ana Kokkinos. Hyde produces with Rebecca Summerton and Lisa Scott.

‘The Hunting’ (Photo: Nat Rogers).

Closer Productions’ The Hunting and Guesswork Television/Merman Television’s Frayed will premiere at Series Mania Melbourne in early July.

Headlining this year’s event, which is held with the support of Acmi and Film Victoria, is Jessica Jones creator and showrunner Melissa Rosenberg, who will appear in conversation.

Rosenberg will also speak at the industry day, alongside screenwriter Luke Davies; Foxtel director of television Brian Walsh; Series Mania creative director Francois-Pier Pelinard-Lambert and actor, director and producer Rachel Griffiths.

Commissioned by Sbs, The Hunting is a four-part drama set in Adelaide that explores the lives of four teenagers, their teachers and families as they deal with the fallout of a nude teen photo scandal. Toplined by Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh, the ensemble cast also includes Sam Reid, Jessica De Gouw, Luca Sardelis, Yazeed Daher, Pamela Rabe, Leah Vandenberg, Rodney Afif, Sachin Joab, Elena Carapetis,...

The Hunting.

Asher Keddie and Richard Roxburgh will head the ensemble cast of Sbs’s four-part drama The Hunting, which goes into production tomorrow in Adelaide.

Joining the two actors in the Closer Productions series are Sam Reid (Bloom, Lambs of God), Jessica De Gouw (Arrow, Deadline Gallipoli), Luca Sardelis, Yazeed Daher (The Heights, Safe Harbour), Pamela Rabe (Wentworth), Leah Vandenberg (The Letdown), Rodney Afif (Ali’s Wedding), Sachin Joab (Lion) Elena Carapetis (Look Both Ways), Anni Lindner (Wolf Creek TV) and newcomers Kavitha Anandasivam and Alex Cusack.

Created by Closer’s Sophie Hyde and Matthew Cormack, The Hunting (previously titled The Hunt) follows four teenagers, their teachers and families throughout the lead up, revelation and aftermath of a nude teen photo scandal. When two high school teachers discover students are sharing explicit photos of their underage friends and peers online, the revelation has unbearable consequences for the students and their families.

"Look, I don't think you understand. There's been an attack and we're not safe." Bleecker Street Media has released the full-length, official Us trailer for a true story thriller titled Hotel Mumbai, telling the story of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008. The film is about the hotel staff who risk their own lives to keep everyone safe, as guests make unthinkable sacrifices to try and save themselves and their families. Dev Patel stars as Arjun, a newly promoted waiter who gets involved in the crossfire trying to rescue guests. The cast also includes Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Jason Isaacs, Anupam Kher, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Angus McLaren, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Rodney Afif, and Sachin Joab. This film first premiered at the Toronto Film Festival last year to mostly positive reviews. This looks frightening and intense, almost too real and too relevant to everything going on around the world nowadays.

We’ve got a new trailer to share with you for an intense-looking true story thriller called Hotel Mumbai.

The film tells the story of a terrorist attack that took place in 2008 at the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel. The focus will be put on the staff of the hotel as they risk their lives to keep their guests safe. This would be a crazy frightening situation to be in!

Dev Patel stars in the film as Arjun, who is a newly promoted waiter who finds himself neck deep in this terrorist attack. He will be joined by Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Jason Isaacs, Anupam Kher, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Angus McLaren, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Rodney Afif, and Sachin Joab. Here’s the synopsis:

Hotel Mumbai is based on the true story of the devastating terrorist attack on the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel in 2008. The terrifying assault brings together the guests and the...

"Remember always: here at the Taj, guest is God" Icon Film Distribution has debuted a teaser trailer for a true story thriller titled Hotel Mumbai, telling the story of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel terrorist attack in Mumbai in 2008. The film is about the hotel staff who risk their own lives to keep everyone safe, as guests make unthinkable sacrifices to try and save themselves and their families. Dev Patel stars as Arjun, a newly promoted waiter who gets involved in the crossfire. The full cast also includes Armie Hammer, Nazanin Boniadi, Jason Isaacs, Anupam Kher, Natasha Liu Bordizzo, Angus McLaren, Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Rodney Afif, and Sachin Joab. This film premiered at the Toronto Film Festival earlier this fall, and received rave reviews, as quoted in this trailer. This is an intense first look, almost a bit too frightening. Here's the international teaser trailer (+ poster) for Anthony Maras' Hotel Mumbai,...

Milly Alcock and Tim Minchin.

Lingo Pictures’ eight-part series Upright, starring Tim Minchin and Milly Alcock, has kicked off production in South Australia.

Joining the actors in the Foxtel/Sky UK series are Heather Mitchell, Daniel Lapaine, Ella Scott Lynch, Daniel Frederiksen, Kate Box, Ningali Lawford, Sachin Joab, Luke Carroll and Rob Collins.

Created by The Chaser’s Chris Taylor, Upright follows Flynn (Minchin), a gifted pianist whose talent for music is matched only by his talent for self-destruction. When he learns that his mother has only days left to live, Lucky sets off in a hire car to drive the 4000 kilometres from Sydney to Perth to say goodbye to her, taking with him his only cherished possession in the world – a battered and scarred upright piano. But what should have been a straightforward drive across the Nullarbor soon becomes a test of Lucky’s emotional fitness, when he (quite...

Stephen Curry, Jacqueline McKenzie and Steve Toussaint in ‘Pine Gap.’

October looms as a blue-ribbon month for Australian high-end drama with the premieres of Pine Gap and Fighting Season.

Screentime’s 6-part thriller set at the Us/Australian defence base in the Northern Territory will debut with a double episode on the ABC at 8.30 pm on Sunday October 14, with all episodes available to binge immediately after on ABC iview.

Goalpost Pictures’ 6-part drama about Australian soldiers returning from Afghanistan will launch on Foxtel’s showcase and on Foxtel Now at 8.30 pm on Sunday October 28.

Created and written by Greg Haddrick and Felicity Packard and directed by Mat King, Pine Gap examines the often turbulent relationships between the Australian and Us intelligence analysts working at the base.

With China encroaching, placing decades of stability under threat, the issues of trust, betrayal, love and loyalty all come into question. A shocking secret...

Actors seldom complain about a lack of diversity in the casting of Australian films and TV programs, according to actress/filmmaker Pearl Tan.

The reason, she says, is that when actors do voice their opinions, they are .vilified. on social media. Tan has joined Equity.s Diversity Committee, which was formed in July and aims to promote and advocate the principles of diverse casting and to foster more opportunities for Equity members from diverse communities.

Reflecting the depth of feeling on the issue, the committee has 32 members including Amanda Bishop, Annette Shun Wah, Bali Padda, Eddie Tang, Jay Laga'aia, Jonathan Chan, Joy Hopwood, Kasia Kaczmarek, Kate Hood, Maria Papas, Ming-Zhu Hii, Robert Jago, Sachin Joab and Serhat Caradee.

Producers are supporting their cause. The new Australian Feature Film Agreement includes a section on diversity in casting which states .Spaa, Ipi and the Meaa recognise the need for expanding the participation...

Neighbours star Sachin Joab has told Digital Spy that there may be some hope left for his character's marriage. The actor's alter ego Ajay Kapoor is left devastated on UK screens this evening (January 28) as he discovers that his wife Priya has been cheating on him with bad boy Paul Robinson. Priya (Menik Gooneratne) recently ended her fling with Paul, but the truth comes out when the Kapoors' teenage daughter Rani (Coco-Jacinta Cherian) exposes her mother's betrayal. Joab told Digital Spy: "At first Ajay thinks his daughter is lying to hurt her mother. Priya and Rani haven't been getting along, so he puts it down initially to teenage angst. "But when Priya has to choose between calling her daughter a liar and admitting the truth, she realises she has to come clean. Ajay is obviously devastated." Viewers see another (more)...

Neighbours' Ajay Kapoor shows another side to his personality later this month as he punches Paul Robinson. Ajay's temper boils over after his daughter Rani informs him that Priya has been cheating on him with Paul, bringing the affair storyline to a dramatic conclusion. Although Ajay (Sachin Joab) initially thinks that a rebellious Rani is lying, Priya can't stand by and watch her daughter's credibility be called into question - so she tells her devastated husband the truth. A furious Ajay kicks Priya (Menik Gooneratne) out of their family home following her shock confession, and when he spots Paul out on the street the next day, he can't resist lashing out at his love rival. Ajay may feel slightly better after punishing Paul (Stefan Dennis), but is there any way that he and Priya can come back from this?

Neighbours (more)...

Neighbours star Menik Gooneratne has claimed that her character Priya Kapoor's affair could make her marriage "stronger". The school principal recently called off her fling with Paul Robinson (Stefan Dennis), although their affair has since been exposed on Australian screens. Gooneratne gave her thoughts to MSN on why Priya cheated on husband Ajay (Sachin Joab) in the first place. "I think she was struggling in her marriage because she married quite young, she married because she fell pregnant," she said. "She was questioning, 'Is my husband married to me because he's doing the right thing or does he actually love me?' and all that she's seeing in the past is him choosing work over her and she thinks he's only in it to be the good father and the good husband. "And with Paul, he is the first time that someone (more)...

Neighbours stars Stefan Dennis and Sachin Joab have been busy filming an on-screen fight this week. The pair's characters Paul Robinson and Ajay Kapoor will come to blows in a forthcoming episode of the soap, as the tension between them reaches boiling point.

Pictured: Sachin Joab and Stefan Dennis on set at Neighbours. Paul and Ajay have struggled to get along for quite some time. However, the show's team are currently keeping tight-lipped over exactly what leads to their violent clash - and who throws the first punch. Dennis commented: "Ahh, you'll have to watch and see. However, I can say that any after-effects were applied by the make-up department, which we were both very pleased about. "I think if Sachin punched me for (more)...

Neighbours' Kapoor family secure a permanent place on Ramsay Street on UK screens later this month as Ajay makes a shock bid for Number 24. Ajay (Sachin Joab) suffers a setback in the coming days when he loses the local council election thanks to his nemesis Paul Robinson, who publishes a hatchet article against him in the newspaper just prior to the vote. Left to consider the future, Ajay is suddenly intrigued when he attends the auction for the Ramsay house, which sees Lucas pull ahead as the top bidder. Just before Lucas can celebrate, however, Ajay makes a rash decision to join the bidding - and it turns out that he's prepared to stump up a much higher value than everyone else. As the Kapoors are officially announced as the new owners of Number 24, Priya (Menik Gooneratne) is livid that Ajay has gone ahead with the idea without consulting her.

Neighbours stars Sachin Joab and Menik Gooneratne have revealed the extent of their characters' upcoming problems. Ajay and Priya Kapoor's relationship starts to unravel as Ramsay Street's newest residents argue over buying a new house. Their issues begin when Ajay buys number 24 without consulting Priya. Gooneratne, who plays Priya, told the Channel 5 website: "Priya is the one that keeps it together, and when Ajay makes decisions without her involvement, she doesn't like it. I think it's (more)...

London, Feb 3: An Indian-origin-Australian actor has claimed that Australia is more forward-thinking than the UK when it comes to portraying ethnic minorities in soaps.

Actor Sachin Joab, who plays Ajay Kapoor, a member of the first ever South Asian family to move into Australian television soap Neighbours' fictional Ramsay Street, said the family were written without resorting to 'cheesy stereotypes'.

Joab said that Neighbours should be commended for its representation of Asian people.

"There are no Indian accents, no references to Hinduism or Islam, or Bollywood music.They could have easily said, 'Ok, your character.

Neighbours executive producer Susan Bower has lamented the racist abuse directed at the soap's new Indian family. A vocal minority of fans expressed outrage at the announcement last week that the Kapoor family will become regular fixtures in Erinsborough in the New Year, claiming that their casting is "un-Australian". Bower responded by taking out a column in the country's Herald Sun newspaper saying that although she "expected" the backlash, she was disappointed with the extent of negative feeling towards the Kapoors and believed that actors Sachin Joab, Menik Gooneratne and Coco-Jacinta Cherian had received "a rather sad introduction" to the show. "I should say that for every negative comment about the Kapoor family there were 10 or 15 positive ones," she said. "These racists are certainly (more)...

Sachin Joab has responded to racist comments from people who have criticised his casting in Neighbours. The actor plays the role of Ajay Kapoor, part of a new Indian family for Erinsborough. The family will become regular cast members in the New Year. Joab has hit out at a minority of Neighbours fans who have said it is "un-Australian" to cast the new family. Neighbours staff have since deleted several racist posts from their website, and have said "that racism and small-mindedness won't be tolerated". The Australian-born actor told the Herald Sun: "There is various pockets that will say it is un-Australian to have an Indian or an Indian family on Ramsay St. "Those Aussies who are saying it is un-Australian will be the same ones who pretty much supported the White Australia policy back in the day, you are never going (more)...

Neighbours bosses have announced that the Kapoor family are being added to the soap's regular cast. Local councillor Ajay Kapoor (Sachin Joab) has been appearing as a guest on the show since the summer, while his wife Priya (Menik Gooneratne) has also featured on screen. The couple will become regular fixtures in early 2012 along with their teenage daughter Rani, who will be played by newcomer Coco-Jacinta Cherian. Neighbours' executive producer Susan Bower commented: "I'm delighted by how the Kapoors have been introduced. Viewers already know them because of their role in the community and link with other characters, and their cultural background is secondary. "We have had many individual characters who have been representative of Australia's diverse cultural landscape, however to have a family of Indian and Sri (more)...

Seems Chris Morris doesn't have a corner on the market for terrorism comedies this year.  No, the creators of very serious minded Australian thriller The Jammed have just taken a turn towards the low-brow and launched production on their terrorism / reality TV spoof Eliminated.  Here's the first official word:

After winning over critics and audiences in 2007 with acclaimed box office breakout hit The Jammed, the same team is back with a new film, Eliminated, which commenced shooting in Melbourne this week.

Written and directed by Dee McLachlan and produced by Andrea Buck from film production company The Picture Tank, Eliminated is a politically incorrect comedy about two of Australia's major obsessions, terrorism and reality television.

In Eliminated, a panel of guerilla judges selects and tests an eager and diverse group of young contestants to see who will take out the crown of 'master terrorist'. Subjected to various challenges, interrogations and torture,...