Emerging stars Mabel Li and Tegan Stimson will lead the cast of new short-form drama series The Tailings, which commenced production on location on the West Coast of Tasmania this week.
Championing female perspectives and the West Coast landscape, The Tailings invites audiences to a remote community to follow a daughter’s investigation into her father’s death.
From an all-female key creative trifecta, The Tailings is written by Tasmanian Caitlin Richardson, directed by Stevie Cruz-Martin (Pulse, Marrow) and produced by Liz Doran (Please Like Me, Molly) with Richard Kelly (The Gloaming) and Steve Thomas (Looky Looky Here Comes Cooky). The 6 x 10-minute mystery drama series is set amidst the West Coast wilderness, the eerie and rugged landscape setting the scene for teenage Jas’s maverick investigation.
The funeral of Jas’s father coincides with the arrival of a newly-graduated schoolteacher, Ruby, who must also deal with her own unresolved issues. As the mystery unfolds, secrets are exposed and the two are challenged to confront the strange and paradoxical layers of grief.
The Tailings' ensemble cast includes established Tasmanian actress Kris McQuade (Rosehaven, Wentworth), joined by Victoria Haralabidou (Deep Water), Nic English (Reckoning) and an array of local Tasmanian talent including Shaun Martindale, Harry Prior, Tai Nguyen, Michael Earnshaw, Jane Hamilton Foster and Sarah Cooper.
Playing Jas, Hobart's Tegan Stimson says: “I am excited to have the opportunity to be involved in The Tailings and to collaborate with such a talented and experienced cast to bring this amazing story to life. The series tells such a powerful and relevant story, entailing many strong female roles, who have such depth and complexity. Growing up in Tasmania, there is always a sense of strong community and you are never far from nature. As a young Tasmanian, I identify with this story and wish to help portray an entertaining show that can resonate with audiences.“
Mabel Li, who plays the role of Ruby, says: “I am so thrilled to be filming in the beautiful lutruwita and to be working alongside some stellar female creatives, and I feel incredibly proud to be representing a modern young Chinese Australian woman in this story.
"The West Coast’s moody mountainous backdrop has been the perfect setting to this dark, mysterious yet incredibly quirky story. Being isolated all in one place far from home has added an extra layer of intimacy to this production and I’m so excited for the world to see it.”
SBS Director of Television and Online Content, Marshall Heald says: “SBS is thrilled to commence production in Tasmania this week and to be creating exciting opportunities for local and emerging talent. The Tailings portrays a community living on the margins, both socially and geographically, providing a rare insight into remote Tasmania, a community seldom represented on-screen. The Tailings responds to the growing audience appetite for short-form digital content, joining AACTA-Award winning series Robbie Hood in SBS’s premium offering of bite-sized dramas.”
The Tailings is a Good Lark production in association with 2Jons and Roar Film for SBS. Principal production investment from Screen Australia, in association with Screen Tasmania. Financed with support from Topic and executive produced by SBS's Amanda Duthie.
The Tailings is being filmed on lutruwita Aboriginal land and waterways. Production would like to acknowledge the traditional owners of the land, the Palawa people, and Elders past, present and emerging.
The Tailings will premiere on SBS On Demand in 2021.
