“Tassie-noir” Bay of Fires, co-created and produced by and starring Marta Dusseldorp, is set to premiere on the ABC July 16, 8.30pm.
Dusseldorp is Anika Van Cleef, the queen of her family’s business empire and the last person who ever wanted to live in a remote community in the wilds of western Tasmania, but multiple attempts on her life suggest a change of address may be advisable.
In a nightmare blur, a stranger who claims to be on her side, provides her with a new name she hates (Stella Heikkinen), a house of sorts and she and her two kids are whipped off to Mystery Bay — a town so remote it eludes any mention on GPS. The town is not the kind of place they put on postcards. There are no street side tapas bars, urban murals, or floral clocks, only the isolation of and often frightening beauty of this primordial wilderness. The newly named Heikkinens are to find Mystery Bay unlike anything life has prepared them for – a place where locals hide more secrets than they do, and outsiders are viewed with suspicion bordering on the murderous.
The cast also includes Kerry Fox, Toby Leonard Moore, Imi Mbedla, Ava Caryofyllis, Rachel House , Yael Stone, Pamela Rabe, Ilai Swindells , Roz Hammond, Tony Barry, Bob Franklin, Stephen Curry, Nicholas Bell, Matt Nable, Nikolai Nikolaeff and newcomer Mitchem Everett.
Bay of Fires is produced by Archipelago Productions and Fremantle Australia, and was created by Dusseldorp with Andrew Knight and Max Dann. Natalie Bailey and Wayne Blair are the directors, with scripts by Knight and Dann.
Dusseldorp and Yvonne Collins are the producers. Executive producers are Greg Sitch,Knight and Brett Popplewell, and the ABC’s Sally Riley, Alex Baldwin and Louise Smith.
Nikki Barrett is the casting director, DOP is Martin McGrath, production designer Jo Ford, costume designer Lisa Meagher and hair and make up designer Fiona Rees-Jones.
Major production investment comes via Screen Australia in association with the ABC and Screen Tasmania, with additional financial support from VicScreen.
Fremantle International will distribute the series internationally.