All 23 episodes of Servant of the People will be available on SBS on Demand from April 7.
Servant Of The People
Thursday 7 April
What happens when an ordinary, honest man accidentally gets elected president of Ukraine? Will he turn the world upside down?
In the political satire comedy series, Servant of the People, modest and humble high school history teacher Vasiliy Holoborodko (President Volodymyr Zelenskyy) is caught on camera raging over the miserable situation in his country. When one of his students posts the video on YouTube, it becomes a viral sensation. Everybody loves Vasiliy’s outrage. Soon, with a Presidential election looming, everyday people crowdfund the fees needed to register Vasiliy as a candidate. And to everyone’s surprise, he wins! Vasiliy is now the new President of Ukraine.
Black Sands
Thursday 7 April
- Number of Episodes: 8
- Country of origin: Iceland
Police Detective Anita is forced to leave Reykjavik for her hometown situated in Iceland’s striking black sands. The death of a tourist on the black sands appears to be an accident. It quickly becomes Anita’s first case and sends her on a dark journey to revisit her past, unraveling a serial killer operating for years, disguising murders as accidents.
STREAMING NOW: AFTRS DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE ON SBS ON DEMAND
SBS On Demand and AFTRS have partnered to showcase emerging filmmaking talent with a curated collection of AFTRS student documentaries. The AFTRS Documentary Showcase is available to watch now exclusively on SBS On Demand.
The collection includes 10 short form documentaries from AFTRS’ second-year Bachelor of Arts Screen: Production students, who were briefed to create a film of no longer than five minutes exploring culture and identity in Australia. The collection is a compelling mix of diverse stories, from living with Tourette’s Syndrome, refugee and asylum seeker activism and the drag king community to the use of Indigenous food and plants in Australian food culture, plus many more.
SBS On Demand & World Movies Channel Manager, Haidee Ireland said: “We are blown away by the calibre of talent in this showcase. The creatives of these documentaries have handled a wide range of topics and issues with incredible care and thought, producing programs that are equal parts moving, informative and entertaining. There is an extraordinary pool of talent at AFTRS, who have uniquely Australian stories to share and we’re excited to be giving a platform to the next generation of distinctive documentary makers. It was a pleasure to collaborate with the team at AFTRS, who share our commitment to championing diverse stories and creatives.”
AFTRS CEO, Nell Greenwood said: “Every filmmaker wants their work to connect with as wide an audience as possible and this is a wonderful opportunity for these brilliant films by AFTRS students to be discovered by viewers across Australia on one of Australia’s most popular streaming platforms, SBS On Demand. SBS has an impressive record for championing new Australian talent and, at AFTRS, we are proud of our own history of nurturing diverse Australian screen voices. This is a terrific collaboration.”
The AFTRS Documentary Showcase is available to watch now on SBS On Demand.
AFTRS DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE
BORN AT EIGHTEEN
Born at Eighteen highlights the underrepresented yet common experience of a delayed youth within the LGBTQIA+ community. The documentary features interviews with two people from different generations as they share their own personal experiences with this phenomenon, as well as how it has affected them in their adult lives.
Creatives: Abbey Hocking (Writer / Director), Mitchell Longton (Producer), David Smith (1st AD), Archie Whiting (1st AD), Ash Dunford (Editor), Chris Le Page (Cinematographer), Charlie Davis (Sound Recordist / Designer), Rosie Robertson (Production Designer), Thomas Howlett (Photographer).
TALENT OVER TOURETTE’S
Talent Over Tourette’s is a documentary exploring what it’s like to live with Tourette’s Syndrome and highlights the many talents of those with the condition. Featuring three individuals who live with Tourette’s, the film discusses tics, hyperfocus and the misconceptions associated, while highlighting the positive outlooks on Tourette’s Syndrome.
Creatives: Suzanna Steele (Director), Alan Dan (Producer), Maddy Clare Lardner (Participant), Harrison Gabriel (Participant), Robyn Latimer (Participant).
GENTLE TORTURE
Charismatic brave activist, Arad Nik, advocates his life for refugees and asylum seekers like him, enticing the public to hear his voice and make a change. After 10 years of activism, Arad still has hope to end temporary visas for asylum seekers in Australia.
Creatives: Joelle Sanounou (Writer, Director, Producer), Zofia Burak (Co-Producer), Chloe Bobbin (1st AD), Harr Holder (Sound Designer), Grace Clinton (Cinematographer & Colourist), Xella Turner-O’Malley (Editor), Anith Mukherjee (Pre-production assistant), Melvin Tu (Compositor).
DRAWING THE LINE
Drawing the Line is a powerful, animated documentary told via Paralympic gold-medallist, Tiffany Thomas Kane, who was stripped and shoved into a cupboard when she was just fourteen years old. Tiffany tells her story for the first time, taking the audience on a journey as she defies the odds to win gold for her country, proving to the bullies, and herself, that she’s stronger than they will ever be. SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE 14 Herbert Street, Artarmon NSW 2064 Australia sbs.com.au Tel: +61 2 9430 2828 12 April 22
Creatives: Elyse Landsberry (Writer, Director, Animator), Scarlett Kratochvil (Producer), Ashley Dunford (1st AD), Jessica Flanagan (Sound Designer), Tiffany Thomas Kane (Participant), Belinda Landsberry (News Narrator).
LITTLE CAMBODIA
The daughter of a Cambodian-Australian refugee seeks to understand how the Cambodian genocide, devastating many with famine, has impacted her family’s values towards Cambodian food and culture. Her Aunty Phanny Bou, a survivor of the regime explores the circumstances that led to her family’s congruous connection with food.
Creatives: Alyssa Dimarucut (Producer), Vanessa Bush (Director / Writer), Yen Hoang (1st AD), Chris Le Page (Cinematographer), Holly Hunter (Sound Recordist / Designer), Alvin Lavilla (Editor).
NATIVE FOOD
The uses, access and importance of Indigenous food and plants in modern Australian food culture areexplored through the work off 100% Indigenous owned businesses, the Lillipad Café and Jiwah Indigenous Gardens.
Creatives: Juliette Hoffman (Writer / Director), Zofia Burak (Producer), Benjamin Taylor (1St AD), Lucas Howard (Sound Designer), Laura Rose (Co-Writer & Cinematographer), Jared Thompson (Editor), Zachary Wise (Editor).
PILLS & POWDER MILK
Pills & Powder Milk is a poetic and participatory hybrid docu-drama about a Torres Strait Islander woman who uncovers her childhood memories and simultaneously discovers her trauma and her triggers
Creatives: Nazareth Alfred (Writer / Director / Producer / Sound Recordist & Designer), Ricky James (Producer), Benjamin Menday (1st AD), Michael Sheppard (2nd AD / Production Assistant), Anita Mukherjee (Cinematographer), Antony Zhang (Cinematographer), Tatjana Hamilton (Camera Assistant), Michael Shepherd (Camera Assistant), Kerrod Meredith-Creed (Photographer), Robert Manzani (Production Design), Jasmine Stokes (Production Asistant / Make-Up / Hair Supervisor), Farazbanu Akhalak Ahmad Anarwala (Sound Recordist), Izzat Nadeem (Editor / Colourist).
SILENT GUITAR
Ngoc-Tuan Hoang tells the story of growing up in Nha Trang, a small beach town in the South of Vietnam. In this impoverished town, entangled in the backwash of the Vietnam war, he finds a place of refuge through the classical guitar. As his skills and passion for the art grow, he is torn between realising his dreams of becoming a musician or adhering to the expectations of his family and school to live a normal, inconspicuous life. SPECIAL BROADCASTING SERVICE 14 Herbert Street, Artarmon NSW 2064 Australia sbs.com.au Tel: +61 2 9430 2828 12 April 22
Creatives: Alex Turner (Producer / Editor), Yen Hoang (Director / Animator), Alyssa Dimarucut (1st AD), Vanessa Bush (Sound Recordist), Leo O’Donoghue (Production Designer / Animator), Jackson Daley (Cinematographer), Oliver Marsden (Animator), Ngoc-Tuan Hoang (Participant).
THE KING IN ME
The King in Me is a short documentary that gives us a closer look at the drag king community. In the shadow of Drag Queens, the Kings show us what it is like to find yourself through the art of drag and to simply be human.
Creatives: Felix Dupuy (Writer / Director), Joelle Sanounou 9Producer), Kat Silverosa (1st AD), Aydin Miles (Sound Designer & Mixer), London Hartard (Cinematographer), Asher Wighton (Editor), Chloe Bobbin (Production Assistant), Jessica Flanagan (Production Assistant), Noah Bloom (Compositor), Anna Gambrill (Participant), Gian Lao (Participant), Ruvani Halwala (Participant).
TRACKING FARMER DAVE
Farmer Dave comes out to the city but finds his purpose when he tracks back to the Farm.
Creatives: Nic Puni (Writer / Director), Madeleine Jurd (Producer), David Graham ‘Farmer Dave’ (Participant).
The release of Tracking Farmer Dave on SBS on Demand coincides with Dave’s appearance in the upcoming season of Big Brother.
Sisi
- Premiere date: Thu, 12 May 2022
- Number of Episodes: 6
- Country of origin: Germany
- Language:German
Empress Elisabeth, nicknamed Sisi, whose fictional character was portrayed by Austrian actress Romy Schneider in the 1950s, was a pop star and influencer of her time at the end of the 19th century, and an icon in Europe and beyond.
This series circles around the tomboy and Bavarian princess, who, after her marriage with Franz Joseph I., Emperor of Austria, has to realise that life at the Habsburg court in Vienna is not at all what she expected. The monarch must fight against the strict and even cruel regime at court and for her ideals.
The Orville: New Horizons
From Friday 3 June
Fast-tracked from the US and dropping exclusively on SBS On Demand from Friday 3 June is the third season of the fan-favourite space adventure series The Orville, titled The Orville: New Horizons.
From creator Seth MacFarlane ( Family Guy ), The Orville: New Horizons is set 400 years in the future and finds the crew of the U.S.S. Orville continuing their mission of exploration, as they navigate both the mysteries of the universe and the complexities of their own interpersonal relationships. This hotly-anticipated new season will be the first since 2019, after COVID-19 delayed production.
Seth MacFarlane stars alongside Adrianne Palicki ( Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D ), Penny Johnson Jerald ( Castle ), Scott Grimes ( American Dad! ), Peter Macon ( Family Guy ), J. Lee ( American Dad! ), Mark Jackson ( The Royal Today ), Chad L. Coleman ( It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia ), Jessica Szohr ( Shameless ) and Anne Winters ( 13 Reasons Why ). In preparation of the new season landing, Seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on SBS On Demand now. The Orville: New Horizons will also air on SBS VICELAND 8.30pm Fridays, starting 3 June.
Alone Denmark Season 2
- Premiere date: Mon, 23 May 2022
- Number of Episodes: 8
- Country of origin: Denmark
In this extreme survival experiment, 10 Danes are dropped off in the Norwegian wilderness to test how long people can survive on their own.
In total isolation and with a minimum of aids, they must film their own fight against hunger, the cold, the rugged nature and not the least themselves! The goal is to survive for as long as possible. The last person standing wins.
Missing Angel
- Premiere date: Thu, 26 May 2022
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Country of origin: France
- Language: French
In June 2012, Suzanne Brunet’s (Muriel Robin) 17-year-old daughter Julie vanished. 8 years later, while caring for an in-home patient, Suzanne comes across an old newspaper with a photo that catches her eye. It was taken a year and a half earlier, at a farmer protest in Tence, a tiny village hundreds of kilometres from Bordeaux.
One of the protestors is a woman pictured from the back, in a striped t-shirt. The same shirt Julie was wearing the day she disappeared! It’s the first sign in 8 long years, giving Suzanne a tremendous boost and a glimpse, a light at the end of the tunnel.
Deals have also been secured with TV Nova (Czech Republic), Sýn hf (Iceland) and Communidad Filmin (Spain), while broadcast partners in the rest of the world include Sundance in North America, Now TV in Hong Kong and SBS in Australia.
Missing Angel
- Premiere date: Thu, 26 May 2022
- Number of Episodes: 4
- Country of origin: France
- Language: French
In June 2012, Suzanne Brunet’s (Muriel Robin) 17-year-old daughter Julie vanished. 8 years later, while caring for an in-home patient, Suzanne comes across an old newspaper with a photo that catches her eye. It was taken a year and a half earlier, at a farmer protest in Tence, a tiny village hundreds of kilometres from Bordeaux.
One of the protestors is a woman pictured from the back, in a striped t-shirt. The same shirt Julie was wearing the day she disappeared! It’s the first sign in 8 long years, giving Suzanne a tremendous boost and a glimpse, a light at the end of the tunnel.
The Blackout: Tomorrow Is Too Late
- Premiere date: Thu, 09 Jun 2022
- Country of origin: Germany
- Language:German
From the multi award-winning production company Wiedemann & Berg (The Lives of Others, Dark) comes the high concept, German political thriller The Blackout: Tomorrow Is Too Late.
On a cold November day, electricity fails all over Europe. Blackout. While the government and authorities struggle with the effects and with clarification, a former hacker comes into the focus of the investigators. The full season will drop on Thursday 9 June.
The short film MATE, coming to SBS On Demand later this year
Sydney, Australia, Thursday 02 June 2021 – October Media is proud to announced that an acquisition deal has been secured with European Cultural Channel ARTE (Association relative à la télévision européenne) and the Special Broadcasting Service (SBS) in Australia for the 2022 Clermont-Ferrand Grand Prix winning short-film MATE.
Filmed in Sydney’s Western Suburbs, MATE is an uncompromising examination of masculinity and maturity that explores the challenges of personal growth within a changing social landscape. The film stars Joshua Brennan (The Long Road Home) and Jeremy Blewitt (Between Two Worlds), Di Smith (Puberty Blues), Zoe Jensen (On the Ropes) and JR Laveta (Janet King).
Grégory Audermatte, Purchasing Officer at ARTE France comments; “We watch a lot of different movies from many different countries, but the beauty of it is we suddenly come across something that is from the other side of the world and yet feels strangely familiar. This is what happened when we discovered MATE. It is a very strong movie that is intense and emotionally powerful thanks to the extraordinary performances by Joshua Brennan and Jeremy Blewitt. We are delighted to show our audience something different, and offer them a glimpse of the working-class Western Sydney they probably don’t know”.
SBS On Demand & World Movies Channel Manager, Haidee Ireland said; “We are delighted that MATE will be coming to SBS On Demand in November. As the home of world cinema in Australia, we are always looking for unique stories told in surprising ways and MATE is no exception. We look forward to being able to share this award-winning short film with our audience.”
MATE is the first Australian film to win the International Grand Prix at the Clermont-Ferrand, qualifying for entry into the widely acclaimed Academy Awards.
MATE is written by George-Alex Nagle, Daniel Corboy and Ben Tarwin and directed by George-Alex Nagle. The producers are Ben Tarwin from October Media, George-Alex Nagle, and Nick Bolton from TEN ALPHAS
Co-writer and director George-Alex Nagle comments: “It has always been our vision to showcase Australian stories to the world and these acquisitions are an exciting opportunity for MATE to be accessible to an international and local audience. It also proves that suburban Australian stories do resonate globally”.
MATE will screen on ARTE on Tuesday 28 June 2022 and then available to the public free of charge on ARTE.TV. Australian audiences can watch MATE free on SBS On Demand from November and at this year’s Sydney Film Festival opening for Emily the Criminal. MATE’s North American premiere will be at Palm Springs International Shortfest 2022 on Saturday 25 June.
My dad has this app on the Fire TV stick Basic Edition. It’s the only app that he has issues with . Quite often it plays up and he has to turn the stick back on and off again. He says it’s a shame as the content is so good but the app isn’t.
The Runaway
- Premiere date: Thu, 30 Jun 2022
- Country of origin: France
- Language: French
And to round off the June highlights is French contemporary drama The Runaway, dropping in full on Thursday 30 June.
16-year-old Lea lives in a nice, suburban home East of Paris with her parents and younger siblings. She’s a self-assured teen who does well in school and loves to dance. But when her overly strict parents try to curb her social life, Lea runs away from home. She winds up in the wrong place at the wrong time, getting tangled up with a shady rap duo.
Drama promo
SBS has bought the AVOD rights to Estonian drama Traitor. The show is inspired by recent spy scandals in Estonia and begins in 2004, just before Estonia joined NATO and became a top target for Russian intelligence.
- Sat, 30 Jul 2022
A daughter wants to save her father; a husband, his wife; a former lover, his childhood love. They are about to participate in a revolutionary kidney transplant program. They are not compatible with their direct relatives but are compatible with each other’s. Between them, they form a chain. But with the operation imminent, complicated family relationships, past conflicts and hidden resentments resurface. Will they have the strength and courage to risk their lives to save strangers?
^ the series mentioned above is The Six, from Poland.
UPDATED:
https://tvtonight.com.au/2022/06/no-appetite-for-unpaid-extras.html
SBS has also bought 6-part Polish medical drama The Six from Hong Kong distributor Harbour Rights.