Press release from TM Publicity
Filming of Panic At Rock Island – produced by Goalpost Pictures Australia – has wrapped after a four week shoot in Sydney. Grant Bowler, of HBO’s True Blood and ABC’s Ugly Betty, returned to Australia to co-star with Vince Colosimo in the all-star cast.
Producer Rosemary Blight said that Panic at Rock Island was co-financed by London-based Universal Networks International (UNI) and the Nine Network Australia.
“This is first Australian scripted drama UNI has ever financed and it was a very positive process working on the script both with Universal and Nine,” Rosemary said.
Panic at Rock Island also stars Damian Walshe-Holwing (Underbelly), Jessica Tovey (Home and Away), Dee Smart (Water Rats), Simone Kessell (Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities, Frost/Nixon), Christian Byers (one of the stars the The Tree, the Australian/French film chosen as Closing Night Film at the Cannes Film Festival this year), and Anna Hutchinson (Underbelly: A Tale of Two Cities).
Panic at Rock Island, from the producers and director of last year’s top rating disaster telemovie Scorched, also includes performances by legendary Australian rock bands You Am I and Spiderbait, plus top New Zealand acts Smash Proof and Gin Wigmore and Sydney-based indie darlings Ghostwood.
Panic at Rock Island is set on an island on spectacular Sydney Harbour. Under the hot summer sun, a line up of top acts play for music fans from across the world. Idyllic….until unimaginable disaster strikes!
Director is Tony Tilse, who is at the top of his game with recent successes including Underbelly, Scorched, Lockie Leonard and A Model Daughter: The Killing of Caroline Byrne.
Tony is also Producer along with Rosemary Blight from leading Australia production company Goalpost Pictures Australia, whose previous successes for Channel Nine include Scorched, Lockie Leonard 1and the series 2 of Lockie Leonard which starts August 21.
Rosemary has produced several films and television dramas, including Clubland, Small Claims, Stepfather of the Bride and Love is a Four Letter Word. She was Executive Producer of the Cannes Film Festival sensation The Tree.
Writer is Matt Ford (Satisfaction, Lockie Leonard).
Producing with Rosemary and Tony is Dave Gibson, from New Zealand’s Gibson Group. Arclight Films is handling world distribution. The telemovie also has a pre sale to TVNZ and will be made with the financial support of Screen Australia, Screen NSW, New Zealand On-Air and EFIC (Export Finance Insurance Corporation).
Rosemary Blight said: “Panic at Rock Island is high concept thriller and we are delighted to have drawn together such a great cast, music talent and production team and to have the tremendous support of Uni and Channel Nine and our other international partners.”
Panic at Rock Island will air on UNI’s Syfy Universal channel, the destination for imagination-based entertainment. From acclaimed original series, events and blockbuster movies to classic science fiction, paranormal, action adventure and fantasy programming, Syfy Universal is a passport to limitless possibilities. Syfy Universal is available in over 70 countries with over 50m subscribers.
Universal Networks International, the global channels division of NBC Universal, is one of the world’s premier entertainment networks, delivering quality content and compelling brands to over 180 million subscribers in 150 countries across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and Asia.