Filming has commenced in Sydney and the Illawarra region on the Paramount+ Original six-part drama, One Night, a character-driven mystery about female friendships under incredible emotional and existential strain, from Easy Tiger and Motive Pictures.
Created and written by the award-winning Emily Ballou (The Slap, Taboo) and directed by Catherine Millar (The Twelve, The Secrets She Keeps) and Lisa Matthews (Doctor Doctor, The PM’s Daughter), One Night is the story of three women whose bond was all but destroyed by the traumatic events of one night 20 years ago.
Since then, Simone (Nicole da Silva) has harboured secret hopes of becoming a novelist but most of her haphazard attempts have been shoved into her bottom drawer. Now, at the age of 40, she has finally written the one story she could never get out of her mind, and her debut manuscript has become an unexpected overnight success.
But it soon becomes apparent that the devastating story the book tells doesn’t exclusively belong to her. At the heart of Simone’s novel is a tragedy which also happened to Tess (Jodie Whittaker) and Hat (Yael Stone), her two childhood best friends.
As it becomes harder to prise fact from fiction, one person’s memory and story from another’s, the book threatens to derail all their friendships, bringing old traumas to the surface of the small coastal community where they grew up, and stirring its perpetrators, who want to make it all go away.
Jodie Whittaker (Dr Who, Broadchurch), Nicole da Silva (Doctor Doctor, Wentworth) and Yael Stone (Orange is the New Black) lead an ensemble cast including George Mason (The Power of the Dog), Erroll Shand (Underbelly: Land of the Long Green Cloud), Noni Hazlehurst (A Place To Call Home, Fires), Tina Bursill (Doctor Doctor), Damien Strouthos (The Twelve) and Jillian Nguyen (Barons).
One Night is produced by Easy Tiger’s Ian Collie, Rob Gibson and Ally Henville (Colin From Accounts, The Twelve) with Motive Pictures’ Simon Maxwell (The Woman in the Wall, Get Millie Black) as executive producer and Harriet Creelman, co-executive producer. Written by Emily Ballou, who also serves as executive producer.
Sophia Mogford, Executive Producer, Drama and Comedy, Paramount ANZ said: “One Night is a fantastic drama, and such a timely, yet timeless story set against the dramatic backdrop of the New South Wales coastline, and brought to life by a great cast of International and local actors. It’s a production we are thrilled to be able to champion. This coupled with the opportunity to be teaming up with Easy Tiger, Fifth Season and Screen Australia on this compelling story, makes this a very special project. Local productions are a priority for us, and One Night joins The Last King of The Cross, North Shore and The Appleton Ladies Potato Race as another Paramount+ Original to get excited about.”
Producers Ian Collie, Rob Gibson and Ally Henville of Easy Tiger said: “We are so excited to be working with Emily Ballou, Simon Maxwell and the team at Motive, as well as our partners at Paramount+, on this brilliantly conceived and executed story. One Night is a gripping, character-driven mystery that explores the boundaries of friendship, and questions our understanding of memory, trauma, and storytelling itself, all set against the majestic beauty of the south coast of New South Wales.”
Simon Maxwell, Executive Producer Motive Pictures said, “One Night showcases Emily’s extraordinary gifts as a writer, interweaving beautifully-observed character writing, compulsive storytelling and insights into its very relevant themes. It’s no wonder that her scripts have attracted such a stellar cast including Jodie Whittaker, Nicole da Silva and Yael Stone. We’re excited to be embarking on this adventure alongside our partners at Easy Tiger, Paramount+, Fifth Season and Screen Australia.”
Grainne Brunsdon, Screen Australia’s Head of Content said: “Easy Tiger have an impressive track record of creating fresh Australian dramas that connect with audiences here and around the world, and we’re pleased to support them on this thrilling series, together with a very strong creative team including talented directors Catherine Millar and Lisa Matthews. One Night is sure to engage audiences with its complex intertwining storyline, relatable characters and of course the stunning Wollongong coastline as its backdrop.”
Major production investment from Screen Australia in association with Paramount+. Fifth Season is handling international sales.
