An epic television mini-series about the 1915 Gallipoli campaign will begin filming in Melbourne and regional Victoria next month.
The eight-hour mini-series GALLIPOLI , produced by Endemol Australia for the Nine Network, will re-enact 10 months of the Australian forces' World War I campaign in Turkey, following the journey of individual characters during the tragic battle and its aftermath.
The production will shoot over three months in various locations in and around Melbourne and will screen on the Nine Network in 2015, the 100th anniversary of Gallipoli.
More than 750 talented local practitioners including five heads of department are working on the production, generating an estimated $14.6 million in production expenditure in Victoria.
GALLIPOLI will be produced by John Edwards (Offspring; Howzat: Kerry Packer's War) with Imogen Banks (Offspring; Puberty Blues) and Robert Connolly (The Turning; Underground: The Julian Assange Story). Glendyn Ivin (Puberty Blues; Beaconsfield) will direct from a script by Christopher Lee (Howzat! Kerry Packer’s War; Rush), adapted from the 2001 book by Les Carlyon.
Producer John Edwards said, "The last six years have been a great collaboration for us with Film Victoria – seven different shows, almost $155 million, spent on 175 hours of drama, with 15,694 jobs. GALLIPOLI is the most ambitious show yet and we’re itching to get started."
CEO Jenni Tosi said Film Victoria was especially delighted to have secured another Southern Star Production for Melbourne, driven by a dynamic collaboration between three of Australia’s best story tellers in John Edwards, Imogen Banks and Robert Connolly.
“GALLIPOLI will be one of Australia’s biggest television events of 2015 as we reflect on the war that shaped our nation. The creative and collaborative involvement of more than 750 local practitioners will deliver a powerful and emotive series for Australian audiences