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24 03 2022 - Media release

Screen Australia announces dramas Black Snow and Year Of for Stan

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Year Of

Screen Australia and Stan have announced two new Australian dramas, Black Snow, a cold case mystery series set in North Queensland from Goalpost Television, and Year Of from Roadshow Rough Diamond which takes place in the same universe as Bump. Both productions have received major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Stan.

Screen Australia’s Head of Content Grainne Brunsdon said, “Screen Australia is delighted to support these strong, distinctive Australian dramas. Black Snow is a unique murder mystery from a very experienced creative team which is set to enthral audiences. We are also very pleased to support the representation of Australian South Sea Islanders in this story, which will shine a light on a dark part of Australian history not widely seen before on our screens.”  

“We also know that Bump has delighted viewers and we’re pleased to support its producers together with a diverse team of writers to bring the inner worlds of young adults to life into starker focus in edgy teen drama Year Of. With themes of grief, loss, identity and friendship, this series will reflect the multicultural richness of Sydney and the intensity of growing up,” Brunsdon continued.

Stan Chief Content Officer Cailah Scobie said, “Every year we bring fresh, distinctive and engaging Stan Originals to Australian audiences and with the announcement of these two ground-breaking new series, Stan will continue to entertain and enthral subscribers. We're looking forward to welcoming Goalpost to Stan and to deepening our relationship with Roadshow Rough Diamond. We are thankful for the ongoing support of Screen Australia, alongside our other key partners Screen NSW, VicScreen and Screen Queensland and the talented and inspiring creative teams, without whom these remarkable projects would not have come to fruition.”

Black Snow combines the character-driven storytelling of a coming-of-age drama with the gripping mystery of a classic whodunit to create a unique series that is deeply rooted in its unique North Queensland setting. In 1994, seventeen-year-old Jasmine Baker was murdered. The crime shocked the small town of Ashford and devastated Jasmine’s Australian South Sea Islander community. The case was never solved, the killer never found. But in 2019, the opening of a time capsule unearths a secret that puts cold-case Detective James Cormack on the trail of the killer.

We respectfully acknowledge the Australian South Sea Islander community as the Australian-born direct descendants of the first South Sea Islanders, who were brought to Australia to work as indentured labourers in the primary industries, and acknowledge their significant place in Queensland’s cultural diversity and history.

The series is created by Lucas Taylor, writing alongside Boyd Quakawoot and Beatrix Christian. Directed by Sian Davies and Matthew Saville and shot by Murray Lui, the series is produced by Rosemary Blight, Lois Randall and Kaylene Butler. Black Snow is financed with support from Screen Queensland, Screen NSW and AMC Networks’ Sundance Now. A Goalpost Television production, it is financed and produced in association with All3Media International.

Year Of is set in and around the senior years of high school – exploring the liminal time between childhood and adulthood for the kids and the renegotiations with adults that it brings. Of course the school, and the teachers we’ve already met in Bump. Young love and angst, humour and tragedy, rub against each other in a powerful mix. Roadshow Rough Diamond’s Dan and John Edwards are working alongside the talented writing team of Jessica Tuckwell, Kelsey Munro, Enoch Mailangi, Emily Havea, Zoe Norton Lodge, Eddie Diamandi, Ayeesha Ash and Eleanor Kirk. ITV Studios is managing international sales.

These projects join an exciting lineup of Australian drama series heading to Stan including Bump series 2 and 3, Bad Behaviour, Bali 2002, and film Nude Tuesday which have all received support from Screen Australia.

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