The emerging Hollywood genre of ''cli fi'' continues to capture the world's imagination. This blog serves as media outreach. For more info write: danbloom@gmail.com and see ''THE CLI-FI REPORT'' at http://cli-fi.net
Wednesday, October 23, 2019
On Christmas Day 2019, Australians were given the gift of The Commons, an eight part cli-fi drama with a heavy focus on relationships.
'The Commons' is an 8 part cli-fi drama series that depicts a climate-ravaged Australia of the not-so-distant future. Started airing/streaming on Christmas Day 2019 in Australia.
This Series Perfectly Captures The Ethical Dilemma Of Motherhood Amid Climate Crisis
From Australia to the world: a new 8-part cli-fi TV drama series titled "The Commons" imagines a world in which Sydney is a place where air-quality is precarious in the extreme and going outside when it’s raining means potentially suffering acid burns from the toxic precipitation. Sound familiar? Does that description sound like a review of the actual show or a real-life news dispatch from one of the Land Down Under's many newspapers and websites?
Well, we're talking about a cli-fi TV drama series set in what the producers are calling '‘the distant future'’. But look around you and turn on the telly, you will see that Sydney is blanketed in a layer of smoke and the story doesn't seem all that far--fetched, according to Sydney reporter Courtney Thompson.
Reviewers in Australia are already saying ''The Commons'' is one of the most topical and urgent Australian television series of the year. It started airing Down Under on Christmas Day and already there is talk of a second season next year.
In Australia in 2019, climate change has never been more real, Thompson writes, noting: "With much of New South Wales on fire, even the staunchest climate denialists are being forced to reckon with the grim reality that we’re at a tipping-point, where inaction can cost us not only the lives of future generations, but even the lives of people living today."
The show is "an effective and rousing call-to-arms, deftly exploring ideas around climate change and disaster capitalism to make audiences think deeper about the personal consequences of our literally decaying world," she adds.
One of the issues the 8-part series zeroes in on is the moral dilemma of having children in the face of a climate crisis. As Greta Thunberg and her band of teenage eco-warriors worldwide have been saying to anyone who will listen, this dilemma is one of the biggest conversations many young people are having as talk of the long-term effects of climate change reaches fever pitch: ''How can we justify bringing people into a world that is doomed for almost certain catastrophe?''
''The Commons'' is one of the first TV series anywhere in the world to face that question and present it as an ethically-ambiguous situation that highlights how complicated the answer will become as the years go on, where the effects of climate change will continue steadily accelerate and technology advances.
For example, will Greta Thunberg choose someday to marry and have children?
The main character in the show, a woman named Eadie, is desperate to be a mother, we learn.
"Despite the fact that it’s a world where things have gotten so bad that rain means acid burns, over the course of the 8-episode series, she goes to extreme lengths in order to conceive a child, pushing ethical boundaries in the process. As a neuropsychologist working at the forefront of the climate catastrophe, she is one of the people who are acutely aware of how dire the situation is, and yet through it all she can’t escape dreams of being pregnant and the burning desire to conceive," Thompson writes in her review of the show.
At the moment, the TV drama is only available for viewing in Australia, although things might change if contracts are signed with streaming services in North America and Europe, according to sources in the TV industry.
When we’re at a juncture as we are right now in the fight against climate change, inaction just doesn’t seem like an option anymore, says the producer of the show.
"The Most Chilling Part Of Thriller Series ‘The Commons’ Is That It Could Totally Bloody Happen" is how another newspaper in Australia characterized the TV drama.
Matt Galea, writing for a Pedestrian TV in Sydney, doesn't mince words, noting: "Look, I love a bit of chill, no-stress viewing as much as the next person, but every once in a while I love nothing more than getting lost in something more intense and thought-provoking. Enter 'The Commons'."
Set in the not-too-distant future, the epic new cli-fi thriller series paints a scarily-realistic picture of what could go down after the next wave of climate change hits Australia and other nations, he adds.
Actor David Lyons explains the show as “presenting humanity in a particular context and asking people to go on a journey.”
'The Commons' depicts a climate-ravaged Australia of the not-so-distant future.
On Christmas Day, we will be given the gift of The Commons, an eight part cli-fi drama with a heavy focus on relationships.
The Commons is an Australian web television drama series from ''Stan'' about climate change and biotechnology, set in a familiar future. The eight part, character-driven thriller looks at ethical boundaries and the place of humanity in saving the planet. The Commons was written by Shelley Birse with Matt Ford, Michael Miller and Matt Cameron. It is produced by Diane Haddon for Playmaker in association with Sony Pictures Television. Jeffrey Walker is the director with Rowan Woods and Jen Leacey.[2] CAST
Stan, in conjunction with Screen Australia, has announced its most expensive and ambitious project to date with the Australian production of a major new original cli-fi series called The Commons.
The production, which begins in Sydney next week, is set to star South Australian actor Damon Herriman alongside Downton Abbey's Joanne Froggatt.
Downton Abbey star Joanne Froggatt is set to star in new Stan cli-fi series.Credit:Sun-Herald
The Commons is a "character-driven cli-fi thriller" playing on the very real topics of climate change and biotechnology but set in the near future.
Written by Shelley Birse (The Code) and produced by Playmaker in association with Sony Pictures Television, the show is set to be Stan's biggest investment – at more than $20 million – in an Australian original yet. The streaming platform's chief executive, Mike Sneesby, says the series was the perfect show to add to their catalogue, as Stan (which is owned by Nine, the owner of this masthead) aims to lead the way in the creation of local, Australian-made original productions.
"For us, this 8-part cli-fi drama is another step on that journey," says Sneesby
.
"We have increased our investment in local productions every year. The size and ambitions of our original productions have gotten bigger with every project that we've announced – in fact The Commons will be the biggest budget, and most ambitious project that we've undertaken.
"We're lifting the bar in terms of production values and the ambition of production here in the Australian market and we intend to continue to do that."
Australian actor Damon Herriman.Credit:Belinda RollandSneesby hopes The Commons' topical storyline, top-notch production team and casting wins in Herriman and Froggatt mean it will have potential in the lucrative overseas market.
Herriman is one of Australia's busiest and most successful actors, and stars as Charles Manson in Quention Tarantino's much-hyped Once Upon a Time in… Hollywood, due for an August release.
Froggatt, who was nominated for three Emmys and won a Golden Globe for her work as beloved character Anna Bates in period drama Downton Abbey, will next be seen in the film of the same name, set to be released in September.
"The combination of the creative idea with the partners involved certainly makes it very attractive and obviously for us we have to look at projects that are a great fit for the platform and the Australian audience ... and that we are confident will translate overseas," Sneesby said.
"This is a project that ticks all of those boxes."
Screen Australia's head of content Sally Caplan said the show's focus on climate change will make it a "compelling series".
"We're thrilled to see creator Shelley Birse, following on from the success of her series The Code, team up again with Playmaker, as well as an experienced team of writers to deliver this timely drama," she said.
"Putting a spotlight on the challenges of climate change, ethical boundaries, and the place of motherhood in saving the planet, The Commons is set to be a compelling and original series and I can't wait to see it."
Production of The Commons is expected to open up 290 local jobs across cast, crew and in post-production and the show is slated for 2020 premiere.
REPORTED BY Genevieve Rota who is a culture reporter with an interest in the rising new genre of cli-fi and she is a producer at The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.
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Joanne Froggatt (Liar, Downton Abbey, A Crooked Somebody) and Damon Herriman (Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, Judy & Punch, Perpetual Grace, LTD) head the cast of The Commons, an eight-hour cli-fi drama commissioned by Stan.
Created by showrunner Shelley Birse (The Code) and produced by Diane Haddon (Reckoning, The Code, Friday On My Mind) for Playmaker Media, the character-driven thriller set in the near future starts shooting in Sydney next week.
Jeffrey Walker (Lambs of God, Riot) is the set-up director, working with Rowan Woods and Jen Leacey.
Scripted by Birse, Matt Ford (House Husbands, Hiding), Michael Miller (Pulse, Cleverman) and Matt Cameron (Secret City, Bloom), the plot is said to play out at the intersection of climate change and the cutting edge of biotechnology, dealing with the “heroism inside us all when our backs are against the wall.”
Graham Yost (The Americans, Sneaky Pete, Justified) is among the executive producers together with Playmaker’s David Taylor and David Maher, Stan’s chief content officer Nick Forward, Fred Golan (Sneaky Pete, Justified, Roswell) and Birse.
Forward tells IF: “It’s a hugely ambitious project that deals with some big themes. It’s unlike anything we’ve seen in Australia.
“The pairing of Shelley Birse and Graham Yost is such an exciting prospect. With actors of the calibre of Joanne Froggatt and Damon Herriman joining the cast, alongside a stellar creative team, The Commons continues to demonstrate our ambition as the home of original Australian productions.”
There will be more cast announcements in the next week or so. The DOP is Earle Dresner (Glitch, Sisters) and Leigh Pickford is the casting director.
Screen Australia’s head of content Sally Caplan said: “Putting a spotlight on the challenges of climate change, ethical boundaries and the place of motherhood in saving the planet, The Commons is set to be a compelling and original series.”
Elizabeth W. Scott, Create NSW’s executive director, investment and engagement, said the production will provide more than 290 jobs across cast, crew and post-production.
Sony Pictures Television will handle worldwide sales of the series, which is set to premiere in 2020.
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