Aisha Dee, Mabel Li, and Virginia Gay headline the cast of upcoming SBS thriller series Safe Home, with production underway in Melbourne.
Dee will star as Phoebe, a 20-something professional who leaves her job at a prominent law firm to work at a struggling family violence legal centre. As interconnecting stories unfold, relationships are tested and the pressure mounts to save the centre.
With so much at stake, Phoebe must navigate a path that isn’t always clear, and people aren’t always as they appear.
Also starring are Thomas Cocquerel and Antonia Prebble, joined by a supporting cast that includes Hal Cumpston, Chenoa Deemal, David Roberts, Janet Andrewartha, Mark Mitchinson, Tegan Stimson, Katlyn Wong, Nicholas Burton, and Yuchen Wang.
Created by Anna Barnes, Safe Home is the first project to be produced under Imogen Banks’ Kindling Pictures, with Emelyne Palmer co-producing and Stevie Cruz-Martin directing.
Barnes, who writes alongside Jean Tong and Michelle Law, said the series was inspired by her time working at a Melbourne legal centre.
“Working in the sector, I became aware of the important role the media played in telling stories about family violence.
“The often sensational news stories significantly influence a lot of the general public’s understanding of this complex issue.
“In creating Safe Home, we have worked with professionals in the field – so while fictional, it’s rooted in authenticity and the real-life processes of the legal services.”
Banks said she could not have asked for a better launch project for her venture.
“In setting up Kindling Pictures, one of my major goals was to find more opportunity for emerging creatives and on Safe Home, with the support of SBS, we have been able to build a hugely exciting team of emerging uber talents, starting with Anna Barnes, who has created a beautifully written smart and complex drama, through to our extraordinary director, the undeniably talented Stevie Cruz-Martin,” she said.
The series, which was announced at SBS’s upfronts, also marks the first original commission for new head of scripted Julie Eckersley, who described it as “Unbelievable meets The Hunting“.
“This a compelling and suspenseful drama series,” she said.
“It will engage your heart as well as your mind and make you question everything you think you know about family violence.”
Major production investment in Safe Home comes from Screen Australia in association with SBS, with further support from VicScreen. Banijay are managing international sales.
Safe Home will premiere on SBS in 2023.