The Sapphires director Wayne Blair joins team behind Indigenous series The Gods of Wheat Street
The Sapphires director Wayne Blair will be one of a trio of directors working on a new Indigenous drama The Gods of Wheat Street to screen on ABC1.
Today marks the first day of production on Northern NSW set for the six by one hour series.
Produced by Every Cloud Productions, and written by Jon Bell, joining Blair in directing is Satellite Boy’s Catriona McKenzie and Boxing for Palm Island’s Adrian Wills.
The Gods of Wheat Street tells the story of Odin Freeburn, the head of a Freeburn clan, struggling to keep the family together.
The cast includes Kelton Pell in the lead role as well as Lisa Flanagan, The Sapphires’ Shari Sebbens, Ursula Yovich of Redfern Now and David Field of Wild Boys.
The series is produced by Bell and Lois Randall.
Bell, who is from the Northern NSW regions of Wiradjuri and Bundjalung, said: “The series is an intimate journey into the lives and hearts of a modern Aboriginal family. Each episode spans a few hectic days with a touch of magic and lots of deadpan humour that help our characters rise above obstacles – like death, financial difficulties and injustice – that would bring mere mortals to their knees so that they can get on with the important matters of love, family and football.”
Every Cloud Productions’ Deb Cox, EP with Fiona Eagger, said: “Fiona and I are delighted that Every Cloud’s next production is back home in the Northern Rivers. We are thrilled to be working with local producer Lois Randall, local producer and screenwriter Jon Bell, who grew up in Casino, and so many fantastic cast and crew, many of them Indigenous. This is such an exciting series – funny, moving, highly original and deeply personal.”
Sally Riley, ABC TV’s head of Indigenous, is also executive producer.
No date has been set for broadcast.
